The New York City Board of Elections awarded a voting-machine contract valued at about $40 million today to Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb. ES&S will provide scanners, ballot-marking devices and other equipment and services as New York City switches from mechanical-lever machines to the new voting system this year.
Toronto-based Dominion Voting, which has offices in upstate New York, did not win the contract. Company officials had told the city board that selecting Dominion would mean more jobs for New Yorkers. It partners with 60 New York employers to make the equipment, including 20 in Monroe County, four in Ontario County, five in Broome County and one in Tompkins County.
New York is the last state to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, which required states to modernize their voting equipment and enable people with disabilities to vote independently.
Under the new system, voters will mark ballot boxes by hand or with the assistance of a handicapped-accessible marking device, and optical scanners will be used to tabulate results.
The state Board of Elections certified ES&S and Dominion for use in New York. Fifty-three New York counties chose Dominion. Four counties chose ES&S before today—Rockland, Albany, Erie and Schenectady—but the contract to provide equipment to the five boroughs of New York City is the most lucrative.
Below is a news release issued by the New York City Board of Elections today:
