City to begin voting machine talks

Peoria to discuss options with same company that county is negotiating with

 December 2, 2005

By Molly Parker    Peoria Journal Star
PEORIA - Both the city and county will have the same voting machines after all.

The Peoria Board of Election Commissioners voted Thursday to begin negotiations with Hart InterCivic, a Texas-based company, for new machines necessary to meet federal requirements for disabled voters that go into effect Jan. 1.

The county already has been negotiating with Hart, but the city commission originally wanted to purchase machines from a company that had been working with them for several years to design a voting system.

"It wouldn't have been my first choice, but we're going to do what the commission has decided," said executive director Jeanette Mitzelfelt.

The Hart machines will cost the commission about $1.1 million, of which about $800,000 will be covered by grants available as part of the Help America Vote Act.

The Hart proposal was pricier than that of the Populex Corp. system the board had originally planned to buy. Mitzelfelt said the commission will have to ask the City Council for any costs over those covered by the grants. If the council doesn't approve the funds, it's unclear what would happen, she said.

The requests, however, are not exactly comparable because Hart's proposal included a maintenance fee while Populex had a scaled-back maintenance option that cut the cost.

Mitzelfelt had originally wanted to go with Populex, arguing that the company had specifically designed a cumulative voting system for the city's unique at-large City Council elections and that it would be cheaper.

Earlier this year, the board was poised to move in that direction.

But two commissioners were replaced on the board after reports that former board Chairman Eugene Wittry owned stock in the Populex company and also served on its advisory board. A Peoria County grand jury is currently investigating whether any laws were broken in the bidding process. The Populex company, based in Dundee, started at the urging of the commission. It is run by a relative of Wittry's.

The new commissioners were wary of the new company. And though none of the options are a perfect fit, a decision needed to be made, said newly appointed Commissioner Mary Harkrader.

"We have to do something," Harkrader said. "Our options are just about exhausted."

Harkrader and Commissioner Camille Gibson also noted that by going with Hart, the city and county could share certain maintenance fees and work together on voter education, thereby making the process simpler and perhaps saving taxpayer dollars.

The vote to go with Hart was 2-1, with Chairman Martin Lawless dissenting. Lawless said he's concerned about the cost and the company's ability to handle cumulative voting. The machines also have not earned state certification on their paper trail, as is required by Illinois law before they can be used. Many companies are currently awaiting certification.