Drafter
Clerk 07/21/2003
Title
A MOTION urging the King County executive to expedite the process of upgrading the King County elections system with particular attention on replacing the voter registration system.
Body
WHEREAS, leading up to the general election in November 2002 over four hundred thousand absentee ballots were mailed late, and
WHEREAS, other problems were experienced relative to regular ballots and absentee ballots during special elections in February and May of 2003, and
WHEREAS, the Secretary of State and the council's independent elections consultant have both strongly recommended replacement of the county's voter registration system as a major part of avoiding such ballot and elections problems in the future, and
WHEREAS, Diebold, the vendor for the elections management system, has for the last several elections done data correction and cleanup tasks that result when data from the voter registration system data base is merged with the elections management system, and
WHEREAS, Diebold has advised the county they will not be responsible for data, correction and cleanup after the 2003 elections, and
WHEREAS, the council adopted an ordinance requiring council confirmation of the manager of the records, elections and licensing services division and the superintendent of elections, and
WHEREAS, these two positions are currently vacant, along with other key positions, with important elections approaching in September and November of 2003, and
WHEREAS, the county has long recognized the inadequacy of the voter registration system, having attempted to replace it in 1998, and
WHEREAS, the council concurs with the Secretary of State and the council's independent consultant's concerns and believes it is important that the voter registration system be replaced prior to the presidential election of 2004, and
WHEREAS, the council believes that a citizen's right to vote is one of the fundamental cornerstones of a democracy, and
WH...

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