Funding Voter Verifiable Paper Ballots
October, 2007
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Current
cost estimates for a transition to an optical scan voting system are
approximately $36 million.1 The Maryland Election
Integrity Coalition disputes these figures.
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We
that purchase of the system authorized in SB392/HB18 will require a FY2009
capital outlay of less than $500,000 (split between the state and counties).
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This
analysis is based upon a negotiated trade-in / buy-back agreement, for
current inventory, that is equivalent to the offer that Diebold Election
Systems, Inc. (DESI) made to Alameda County, California, in 2006.2
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DESI3
is contractually obligated to provide Maryland with the best price offered
to any other customer.4
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With
the transition from current inventory levels of approximately 20,000 voting
units to a purchase of 2,000 precinct-based optical scanners and 2,000
ballot marking devices, the state and counties will have an 80% reduction in
voting units. This will result in significant and long term cost reductions
for state and local election administration.
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These
administrative cost savings will more than compensate for the initial
capital outlay. There will be an immediate reduction in state budget
requirements.
1
Fiscal and Policy Note (Revised), SB392; exhibit 2, pg. 8 [LINK] 2
“Election
Voting Systems: Analysis of Options.” May 15, 2006. County of Alameda
Registrar of Voters. pp. 21-24. [LINK] 3
Diebold Election Systems became Premier Election Solutions on August 16, 2007. [LINK] 4
“Request for Proposals: Direct Recording Electronic Voting System and Optical
Scan Absentee Voting System For Four Counties. Project No. SBE-2002-01. Maryland
State Board of Elections.” p. 7 [LINK]
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