'Challengers' - Blackwell V.C

Having published the state's election plan, Blackwell hosted the annual summer elections' conference on June 17 - 19 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Colombus, Ohio, whereat various elections officials from all of Ohio's 88 counties gathered together so as to imbibe updates on legal, legislative, and administration issues as well as graps opportunities for developing fraternal relations between election professionals from the state and county levels. The core of the conference was HAVA 2002. As a side benefit the officials would first receive education credits for attending. Secondly, SoS Blackwell, after speaking the keynote address on the 17th, returned on the 18th to host the awards luncheon. On the 19th the attendees obtained taxpayer-subsidized door prizes from the state of Ohio and HAVA 2002. Once again, those in power are helped and the taxpayer is screwed.

Continuing to play the bureaucracygame, Blackwell announced on July 8 that the following five companies had cleared the first hurdle in having their proposals selected for eloctrinic voting machines:

1) Diebold Election Systems;
2) Election Systems and Software;
3) Maximus/Hart Intercivic/DFM Associates;
4) Microvote General Corporation/Sosa/Perot Systems/Triad GSI; and
5) Sequoia Voting Systems.

Blackwell set an August 1 deadline for completion of the evaluation process and also announced that County boards of election were given a grace period lasting until September 1 to choose their preferred qualified voting system.

Seventeeen days after announcing the electronic bid machine winners, Blackwell announced on July 25 the conglamerating of seven people who would compose an advisory team vis-a-vis negotiating a contract for purchasing electronic voting machines. Blackwell declared,

"We have assembled a team of nationally renowned experts in the fields of negotiations, technology, law and elections to ensure Ohioans are provided with the most accurate and secure voting machinery available, with the best service, price and warranty available as well. We are at the forefront of a historictransformation of our elections infrastructure. As secretary of state, I am committed to proceed in the most competent, thorough and prudent manner possible."

After the panel of experts would announce its decision on August 1 pertaining to the contract, the elections boards possessed 30 days to decide upon the type of machine best suited to their district.


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