My conversation with Michael Clingman

In 2006 I had a conversation with Michael Clingman, Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary, about the current state of our voting system and what plans, if any, there were to replace that system. Recently I called Secretary Clingman, to get an update on the process of replacing our current system.

Clingman reiterated that with regard to the actual voting machines that we use, he was very happy with the system. Even though these machines were purchased in 1990 and were only to designed last 10 years, he said that we were very fortunate that our equipment was designed and built very well by the manufacturer. He referred to them as "little tanks".

So why replace them if they are so great? Clingman said that as other states abandon the systems that we currently use, we have been purchasing their old systems and using them for spare parts. This is one of the ways that we have been keeping a system designed for a 10 year life cycle afloat for 18 years. But it is not even the old machines that are really the problem. It is the old DEC Mainframe that lies at the heart of our state-wide voting system. This old machine is probably less powerful than an iPhone; and certainly your PC (or mac) that you are using to reading this, is more powerful. It has reached the point where it can not be upgraded. So as time goes on it becomes more difficult to manage state wide elections using this old system. Clingman said that both of these factors make it important to replace these machines as soon as possible.

One of the things that is apparent to me when I talk with my fellow Oklahomans, is that we really like the system that we have. So what will we replace it with? The makers of voting machines don't like our old system because each precinct only needs one machine. Electronic touch screens are better for their bottom line because each polling place would need multiple machines. So they have been pushing touch screen, electronic based systems. But these systems are not so good for the voter because these machines have proven to be fundamentally flawed.

The beauty of our system is that there is a paper trail from the ballot box all the the way through to the final tally. In 2006 Clingman was ardent supporter of a system which, at it's heart, used paper ballots with optical scanners and maintained a paper trail. Two years later, nothing has changed. He told me that whatever system we use, it must meet the following requirements.

1. It must be a system based on an optical scanner.
2. It must take paper ballots, and maintain a paper trail.
3. It must have a provision for the disabled built in that will allow them to vote without a paper ballot.
4. The system for the disabled must create a paper ballot that can then be placed in the optical scanner (to keep the paper trail alive).
5. It must be contained in one system so that we aren't left with one machine for people with paper ballots and another for the disabled.

Apparently no such system yet exists, but Clingman told me that he has two different companies working on creating such a system.

Another interesting side conversation we had dealt with Oklahoma as an anomaly among the other states. In most states the State Election Board Secretary doesn't run a uniform state wide voting system. In most states the secretary sets up standards and mandates that each county adhere to those standards. So instead of one statewide system you end up with several different voting systems all over the state. Also, what ends up happening is that a third party (usually the company that sold the equipment) manages the system that is in use.

The makers of these voting machines see their systems a continual stream of revenue. They don't hope to just sell equipment, they see the management and maintenance of the machines as a service. As such, they tend to see the software patches and updates as proprietary and closed. Since we are used to running and managing our own system, Clingman told me that another requirement that he will attempt to enforce any new system is that it be Open Source.

When does he hope to have all this in place? Well it depends, any new system must also be accredited by the Election Assistance Commission, and apparently no new system has been able to pass their standards. He is hoping that at least by 2010 we will have a new system.

After speaking with Michael Clingman again, I'm confident that Oklahoma will not bend it's standards, and that we are in good hands. Any new system will meet or exceed the standards that we are used to.

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