arm.twisting.jpg

[Image courtesy of bnet]

NOTE: electionline.org was down for about an hour yesterday because site traffic exceeded our server’s bandwidth. We’ve fixed the problem … I’d apologize but I can’t stop smiling. I bet you all can’t do it again!

Just a quick post as I catch up from recent travel …

In March 2008, Butler County, OH had some issues with their voting machines that resulted in the loss of about 200 votes.

Yesterday, Butler County’s board of elections announced that it had reached a settlement with the vendor.

It’s nothing short of eye-popping; under the terms, Butler County will receive $1.5 million (or about $7,500 per lost vote) in goods and services, which will be provided and maintained by a rival vendor.

Wow.

For election offices, the Butler County settlement has to now be the gold standard if something goes wrong before, during or after Election Day.

For vendors, the Butler County is a cautionary tale about the cost of failure in the high-stakes world of elections.

For everyone else, it’s yet another vivid reminder of how much the voting technology business has changed in just a few short years.

Again, wow.