MANUAL-COUNT ELECTIONS vs. ELECTRONIC-COUNT ELECTIONS (our Freinds to the north)

[kster]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The City of Thunder Bay brought in the Electronic-Count system with the intention of having an election system that costs considerably less and would give results in less time than the traditional hand-counted method.

Although expenses for staffing and maintaining the polling stations went down, the overall cost was offset with the purchase of the voting tabulators, the yearly maintenance of the machines and consultant fees. It should be also noted, the cost of Electronic-Count elections have increased at a rate well beyond the index of inflation from 1997 to 2003. The cost to hold a Manual-Count election in 1994 was $261,910.82. The cost to hold an Electronic-Count election in 2003 was well over $400,000.

Since less staffing, less polling stations and a private company are required to operate an Electronic-Count system, it brings up a number of concerns rather than benefits:

1. Less staffing means, less people (regular citizens) are involved in the electoral process.

2. Less polling stations means voters have to travel a further distance to cast their ballot.

3. With less staffing and a private company involved, we are effectively privatizing a public institution, much like privatizing healthcare.

Another concern with our particular system is that approximately 40% of the polling stations don’t have electronic tabulators. This means, these ballot boxes have to be transported to another polling station with a tabulator, in order to be counted. According to the Municipal Elections Act, Sections 54 & 55, ballot boxes can’t be moved from a polling station, until the ballots are counted. This point further challenges the integrity of this system.


Comparison of Cost Distribution Between Systems
Below Fig. 8 & 9 shows how the cost is distributed for both the Manual and Electronic Count elections.

SNIP.....

In the Manual-Count system, well over half the cost goes to Election Staff who are not a part of Administration Staff or a private institution. Rather it’s regular people from many walks of life. This achieves two things:

1. Over half places a higher investment of our tax money involving more of the general public in the electoral process.

2. This money will be put back directly into our local economy, which makes this type of system more cost-efficient.



Fig. 8

In the Electronic-Count system, over 35% of the COST not only leaves the local economy, but Canada as well. It’s an American Company that maintains these machines. Their expenses are listed below:

Amortization (3 yrs.) - $27,000
Equipment Maintenance 2003 - $4,250
Computer Services 2003 - $55,685
Equipment Maintenance 2002 - $4,861
Equipment Maintenance 2004 - $6,740
Service Fees 2002 - $5,008
Service Fees 2003 - $44,669
Service Fees 2004 - $11,224



TOTAL COST GOING OUT OF THE COUNTRY $159,437

SNIP....

CONCLUSION
It’s concluded that the use of a Manual-Count system should be brought back for municipal elections in Thunder Bay. This would ensure, less cost for the taxpayer and more control will be in the hands of the general public, not City Administration and a private company. As well, the reliability of this system would never be questioned.

http://www.angelfire.com/on/andyland/ElectionRpt.html

[Stevepol]

1. K&R

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Uh, again

what does the ballot look like?

We have had this argument several times. Hand-counted paper is perfect, *IF* you have a simple ballot. When you have 30,40,50+ items on the ballot, accurate and timely hand-counting is impossible.

[kster]

3. What was I thinking

We The People are only capable of hand counting 3% of them "30,40,50+ item ballots". Says the Politicians. :eyes:

[Kelvin Mace]

4. You should really try reality

It's not that bad, and much more helpful than sanctimonious self-delusion.

[kster]

7. Kelvin Kelvin

Kelvin........... nt

[Ellipsis]

5. We need two ballots.

One with Presidential, Senate, and Congessional races to hand count, and Opscan the rest.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. And anyone who wants that

and thinks they can get it into law, is invited to do so. No objections from me. Give me a simple ballot, and I am content to trust hand-counting.

But this insistence that it is possible to count a complex ballot by hand is ludicrous.

[kster]

8. Looks like a plan we can all agree on... nt

[Kelvin Mace]

9. See, miracles can happen.

[JimDandy]

10. That might run up against an equal protection argument, no? n/t

[kster]

11. kick.nt