Cape Girardeau County to test electronic poll books in February, April

Cape Girardeau County poll workers may soon eliminate the use of paper logbooks to keep track of voters who have cast ballots on election day. Some Cape Girardeau County poll workers in the February and April elections will use iPads programmed to track and save voter information at St. Andrew's Church on Feb. 7. The church is the polling place for precincts 6 and 14.

The Cape Girardeau County Commission tentatively accepted a bid for electronic poll books from St. Louis-based vendor Know.Ink on Thursday but was met with questions and concerns from a spurned company that had offered its services.

The commission plans to test three of Know.Ink's poll books in February and potentially more in April before purchasing them, County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said. The number of devices used in April's election will hinge upon how the commission feels about their performance in February's election, she said.

The commission does not have to buy the books if they do not perform well in the elections, Summers said.

Voters will sign the iPad as well as the paper voter registration book to confirm their identity at the polls, information technology director Eric McGowen said. The measure is in place in case the iPads malfunction.

"We need to make sure they work the way we want them to," McGowen said. "But we feel this is the best one."

The iPads would replace printed voter registration lists and allow each poll worker to assist all voters. Currently, workers are assigned a section of the alphabet and can only help those whose last names fall in that range.

If the commission is pleased with how the iPads function, it will pay $97,300 for the devices, software, support and poll employee training, McGowen said.

However, a representative of a company not chosen questioned Thursday's decision. Martin White, owner of St. Louis-based Election Administrators, said tracking voters on an iPad was not safe, as there is no removable hardware for the device.

"You will lose voter history if the iPad fails," White said.

Summers said she is comfortable with Know.Ink's security and believes the information will not be lost.

"I want utmost security for our elections and I'm not going to put a product out there that could compromise the voting process," Summers said.

Voting history could also be compromised because the software on the iPad may have to be put on Apple's App Store to be installed, White said. Applications in the App Store must be approved by Apple and can be bought by anyone, he added.

"We are confident in this company's security and will not risk the security and privacy of any voters," Summers said.

Election Administrators' poll books are Acer laptop computers programmed to track voter information. Because the laptops have removable hardware, they retain information even if they "fail, break or get hit by a bat," White said.

"I'm trying to stop you guys from buying a really nice car that looks real nice but they don't make brakes for it," White said.

Summers had a different idea of the electronic poll book -- and car -- purchasing process.

"If you're going to get a car, you test drive it before you buy it," she said. "You don't make a large purchase until you research what you're buying, and that's what we've done."

Commissioner Jay Purcell said he was interested in learning more about White's company, but the commission will test Know. Ink's products before reconsidering bids.

"It will all come out in the wash," Purcell said of any problems the iPads may encounter.

In other business, the commission approved the placement of a Seabee plaque on the south side of Veterans Memorial in Cape County Park.

Last month, two Navy veterans requested that a circular, 16-inch diameter plaque be placed on the memorial in the park to honor the Seabees, a special combat and construction unit of the U.S. Navy. The 70-year anniversary of the Seabees is March 5 and they would like to have a dedication at that time.

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