NY: New voting machines still not ready for voters

[Bill Bored]

Genesee lawmakers told more delays appear likely
By Paul Mrozek

Thursday, February 5, 2009 3:05 PM EST

The Genesee County Board of Elections was supposed to start using its new electronic voting machines during the September 2009 primary season but there is a good chance that won’t happen, the Ways & Means Committee was told Wednesday.

Election commissioners Richard Siebert and Dawn Cassidy said there have been problems with SysTest, the company that has the state contract to certify all the new equipment. SysTest lost its federal accreditation to perform the work and is trying to get it back, Siebert said.

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The state Board of Elections has told the county it should be prepared to use both its old equipment and new machines in September and in November’s general election.

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Sequoia wants to charge the county more than $80,000 for computer software, licenses, fees and training of election workers.

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The company also billed the county $3,500 to have a technician on hand for 2008’s primary and general election and for the cost of a dedicated phone line to troubleshoot any problems that came up on those dates.

“We’re not paying the bill,” Siebert said.

The Sequoia technician who worked on Primary Day had a cup of coffee with the Board of Elections staff but did no work, Siebert said. No technician showed up for November’s general election and the county never used the hot line, he said.

“There’s a lack of trust here. Money does not count to these people at all,” he said.

“You couldn’t make this stuff up if you wanted to,” Legislator Jerome Grasso, R-Le Roy, said.

Lawmaker Charles Zambito, R-Elba, chairman of Ways & Means, said taxpayers owe some gratitude to the election commissioners.

“You are doing a great job in trying to keep this together,” Zambito said.

“We’re trying to keep us out of court,” Siebert said.

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/02/05/news/5136965.txt