(CO) More Ballot Scanning Trouble

[Wilms]

Printer says ballots bear partial blame

Maintains most of fault lies with the new voting system

By Eric Bontrager
For the Boulder Daily Camera
January 29, 2005

The printer of the ballots from Boulder County's botched November election admitted Friday that printing errors caused some problems, but said the company that makes the county's new voting system and its machines carry the bulk of the blame.

In addition, Howard Harris, president of EagleDirect printing, said Hart InterCivic Inc., the company that manufactured the county's new voting system, has been uncooperative in helping his firm uncover problems since the election.

-snip-

Schaefer said EagleDirect's quality control for the ballots was hindered because, unlike past printing jobs EagleDirect has done, Hart would not supply one of its machines during the printing process.

-snip-

<http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=4740>

[aquart]

1. Really? So they couldn't test?

Pretty much guarantees malfunction, wouldn't you say?

[Wilms]

2. Not only that...

I wonder if the manufacturer was afraid to let the machine out of their hands in fear it might be subjected to a test.

[aquart]

3. Now that you say it....

Oh, yes.

[nodictators]

4. Hart InterCivic was involved in the the Florida 2000 fiasco

Hart InterCivic, which is in Austin, Texas, is a spin-off from Hart Graphics, which was a family-owned printing company. They also make the E-slate touchscreen voting machines, which may not be selling well.

Twelve counties in Florida that used optical-scan ballots which featured a split, two-column listing of the presidential candidates had those ballots printed at Hart. These bad, error-inducing ballot designs had been created in Katherine Harris' offices.

Perhaps, Hart simply wanted the Colorado printing business too. Or...

Hmmm!