Wayne Williams approves four pilot voting systems

DENVER, August 4, 2015 - Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams today announced the certification of four voting systems that will be evaluated for consideration as the state’s new uniform voting system. The four systems are Clear Ballot Group, Dominion Voting Systems, Election Systems & Software, and Hart InterCivic.

"Coloradans expect integrity and accuracy in their elections," Williams remarked. "A uniform voting system will make it easier for both voters and counties and standardize training across the state for election administrators and judges. Allowing multiple systems to compete allows us to really see which system will be best for Colorado."

Since the UVS pilots will occur in conjunction with this November’s coordinated elections, the proposed systems must first be temporarily approved for use by the Secretary of State. Extensive testing was done by federally certified labs in order to ensure the piloted systems meet the requirements of Colorado law. All four selected systems met these criteria.

Earlier this year, Williams announced his intent to continue moving forward with implementing a uniform voting system in Colorado before the June 2016 primary election. Williams formed the Pilot Election Review Committee in March to facilitate this goal. The committee is composed of former EAC Commissioner and Colorado Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, former and current county clerks and commissioners, a representative from the disabled persons community, and an employee of the state elections division. The PERC will obtain feedback concerning the functionalities, performance, strengths and weaknesses of the piloted systems and make recommendations to the Secretary of State, who will then select Colorado’s uniform voting system.

"For the last several months, the PERC has been carefully laying the groundwork to evaluate which of these systems will best serve the voters of Colorado," said Clarissa Thomas, chair of the PERC. "We look forward to seeing their performances and making a recommendation to Secretary Williams for Colorado’s uniform voting system."

Audio of the PERC’s meetings and supporting documents can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.