Vendor changed contract form language, memo alerts counties
State officials say a vendor of voting machines that more than a dozen counties have lined up to buy surprised them by changing the contract form to allow for used equipment for the Aug. 3 elections.
The state election office had never signed off on the change, according to an “alert” memo it sent out to affected counties.
The April 12 memo said that Election Systems & Software Inc. had added — without permission — “used equipment” language to a Tennessee Voting Equipment order form. Davidson, Williamson and Wilson are among the counties waiting for their ES&S machines.
…
Eddie Bryan, chairman of the Davidson County Election Commission, said he doesn’t know why ES&S bid on Metro’s business if it can’t deliver the goods.
“These people have been playing games with us,” he said. “I’m not for having any used equipment.”
As usual, btw, the reporter gets the story wrong with the same misinformation concerning the Help America Vote Act (HAVA):
As if we haven’t repeated this hundreds of times here: HAVA requires one disabled-accessible voting device (not machine!) in each polling place (not precinct, though that error is one we had made previously ourselves). Larger point being that there are other devices for voting that can be used which are not “machines” — despite how much the vendors appreciate the mainstream media doing their misinformation for them.
Oh?
… sounds like some "depends on the meaning of what ‘is’ is" type of litigation coming up …
depends on what the meaning of etc
Sorry Dredd – I got a little snippy there – I think we all need someone to throw us some red meat!
Brad – Hint, hint!
This story comes to us courtesy of the Gathering to Save our Democracy, the Bernie Ellis-led group that brought y’all last years Election Reform Conference in Nashville. While losing this year’s state battle in the legislature, we did at least get the interest of our friend at the Tennesseean. We (Deborah Narrigan) sent her the info about this story, and, hurray, she printed it.