Electronic voting on the horizon, vote Oct. 3
Sample government e-voting system.
Automatic, electronic vote recording is coming to Burlington – if council approves it Oct. 3. The cost is an estimated $9,392 one-time cost, plus $2,392 annually. The equipment could be installed within weeks. The Halton school board has had vote recording technology for some time.
My Take: I’ve been advocating automatic vote recording since my first term on council, so residents can see how their council member voted, and search votes electronically. Council members will no longer have to request recorded votes – they’ll be automatically recorded. The technology will also eliminate the need to stand and verbally record votes. Much as I like the occasional stretch break, this is cumbersome and antiquated. Electronic vote recording is progress for democracy, accountability and transparency.
October 1, 2016 @ 6:38 am
Why is there an annual fee for this system?
Please forgive me for this opinion, but a system to record votes sounds like one of the least technically complicated things I can imagine, and I have 40 years experience in computers and robotics.
Mind-you, a couple of thousand dollars a year is a piddling sum. But if you add up all the piddling sums the city agrees to then you have a very large figure indeed, and one that grows silently and with a ravenous appetite.
What do you get for ~2000.00 a year? A maintenance contract? Please explain. Thanks.
October 2, 2016 @ 4:07 pm
Thanks Pete, Those were estimated quotes provided to us, but I don’t have full details until there is a formal purchase request. Tech support?
September 30, 2016 @ 2:03 pm
For those who believe this is progress, they owe a thank you to Councilor Paul Sharman for bringing it foreword and getting it done.