Gessler announces finalists for Uniform Voting System

Three vendors will pilot their systems for final selection

Denver, Colorado, September 9, 2014 - Secretary of State Scott Gessler announced today the final vendors eligible for certification through Colorado’s Uniform Voting System (UVS) initiative. Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. and Everyone Counts, Inc. were selected to pilot their voting systems. Clear Ballot Group, Inc. is also a finalist, pending submission of additional documentation. The next step in the certification process will be for the vendors to conduct a pilot election to demonstrate the efficacy of their systems.

"A uniform voting system will save money and strengthen election administration across Colorado," Secretary Gessler said. "Technology has changed dramatically since 2002, when the Help America Vote Act provided funds for many of the voting machines in use across Colorado today. Now that we’ve selected three final vendors, we are eager to take advantage of the advancements in technology and bring cost savings and more accessible elections to Colorado."

The City and County of Denver plans to pilot Dominion Voting System, Inc. for its May, 2015 municipal election.

"My office is committed to spearheading innovative and creative ways to improve the voting experience, and Denver looks forward to participating in the Uniform Voting System pilot project," said Denver Clerk and Recorder Deb Johnson. "This project is a natural fit because of our national reputation as a pioneer in the world of elections."

The Secretary of State’s office is working to partner with other municipalities to pilot the other two systems during the May, 2015 municipal election, in addition to the possibility of large-scale mock elections with county partners.

Under a uniform voting system, the Secretary of State’s Office will authorize a single and uniform voting system that will be used in all 64 counties, resulting in reduced costs and greater efficiencies to the voters and taxpayers of Colorado. Previously, the Secretary of State’s Office certified a number of voting system vendors and each of the 64 county clerk’s selected the vendor for their specific county. The Uniform Voting System, when implemented, will be phased-in over a period of several years so that counties will not need to replace functioning equipment, but will have the option to do so as their equipment meets the end of its usable life.