New Paper Ballot Vote System 'Crucial' Decision For DuPage County

Wheaton IL

28 October, 2021

2:41 PM

Description

WHEATON, IL — DuPage County is hoping to make the voting process more secure, equitable and efficient with a new voting system that strictly uses paper ballots. The county plans to officially debut the system during the 2022 primary election. DuPage County voters have been using touchscreen machines and optical scanners for more than 15 years, a news release said. The county's former voting system encountered glitches in Oct. 2018. The shift is long-awaited, as DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said in the news release. "I have been waiting to say these words for 16 years – DuPage County will have 100 percent paper ballots," Kaczmarek said. DuPage County tapped Austin-based Hart InterCivic for the new voting system, which does not connect to the internet, something that prevents hackers from accessing ballots, the news release said, calling it the "most secure, transparent, and user-friendly voting system on the market." Hart InterCivic's system is also designed to tabulate write-in votes and accommodate ranked choice voting. The voting machines will be equipped with a "fully accessible ballot marking device" that "produces a ballot that looks like all others," the news release added. Other anticipated benefits include shorter voting lines and easier audits due to digital captures of ballots that have been scanned. "The selection of a new voting system is among the most crucial decisions for DuPage County," Kaczmarek said in a statement. She added, "My staff took this responsibility conscientiously and enthusiastically. Our office has full confidence in the choice of Verity by Hart InterCivic."