{"id":13448,"date":"2023-03-17T01:38:46","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T05:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/?p=13448"},"modified":"2023-03-17T03:09:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T07:09:31","slug":"ocean-county-approves-9-4m-purchase-of-new-touchscreen-voting-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/2023\/03\/ocean-county-approves-9-4m-purchase-of-new-touchscreen-voting-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean County Approves $9.4M Purchase of New Touchscreen Voting Machines"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Express<\/a>

Express Vote XL Voting Systems. (Photo: ESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

Ocean County residents will experience new technology when they vote in this year\u2019s elections, with the county finalizing a decision to upgrade its voting machines.<\/p>\n

Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines, liaison to the Ocean County Board of Elections, said 850 Election Day voting machines and 72 early voting machines are being purchased from Election Systems and Software at a cost of $9.4 million. The machine selected is the Election Systems and Software \u201cExpress Vote XL\u201d platform.<\/p>\n

According to ESS, the paper-based ExpressVote XL system displays the full ballot on a 32-inch interactive screen and produces an independent voter-verifiable paper record. The ExpressVote XL \u201cimproves the Election Day experience for voters \u2014 allowing them to mark and tabulate their vote in one stop,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

New Jersey state law allows county election boards to choose from a small number of certified voting platforms. The Ocean County Board of Elections conducted an in-person assessment of those election machines at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library on Nov. 21, 2022. The board, and commissioners, ultimately came to the decision to purchase the ExpressVote system.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the presentations, it was determined the best machine would be Election Systems and Software, LLC, Express Vote XL Voting systems,\u201d Haines said.<\/p>\n

While the system has been the subject in litigation during post-election legal wranglings in some jurisdictions, its reliability has not been found to be deficient. A federal judge in 2020 decided a legal challenge<\/a> of the machine\u2019s votes in Pennsylvania was \u201cbaseless and irrational,\u201d and a \u201cfantasy\u201d based on \u201cill-considered theories\u201d of hacking potential. The litigation was initiated by Jill Stein, a political activist who was the Green Party\u2019s nominee for the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections.<\/p>\n

\"Express<\/a>

Express Vote XL Voting Systems. (Photo: ESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

Though the voting process is completed on a touch-screen, voters insert a paper card, which prompts the system to display the correct ballot on the screen. Voters then make their selections, and the machine\u2019s integrated thermal-based printing system creates a copy of the ballot selections. During the cast process, vote data that is read from the voter-verified paper record is recorded. The print head lifts out of contact with the paper path, allowing the ballot to pass through to the secure card container. The election programming and vote data are encrypted and digitally-signed, so the system can verify that they are from a trusted source and have not been altered. The machines have a door that can be physically locked and only opened with a unique key, and turned on with secure access codes. It also has four backup batteries so the machine can keep functioning during a power outage.<\/p>\n