Diebold and Election Systems & Software (ES&S) - two of the largest vendors of such equipment - have submitted bids. Two other companies - Hart Intercivic and Sequoia Voting Systems - said they would not bid.
The two bidders each offer touch-screen ballot devices and optical scan machines. It is unclear whether Utah voters will be tapping screens or filling in circles on paper sheets when they cast ballots next year. State officials did not release the price tag or specific equipment the vendors are offering.
State Elections Director Amy Naccarato was "a little surprised" to only see two companies on the list.
"I really thought we'd have four or five," she said Tuesday.
A committee of county clerks, government computer experts and elected officials now will evaluate the bids and rank them according to cost, security and other qualifications. The public also will have a chance to speak out Thursday at a public hearing.
Diebold and ES&S are well-known voting vendors across the nation. Some computer experts have singled out Diebold equipment as not secure. Company officials maintain their systems are safe and reliable.
David Bear, a Diebold spokesman, was unsure late Tuesday about the company's exact bid, but says it generally offers a combination of touch-screen computer tablets for Election Day voting and optical-scan technology for absentee ballots. Diebold's Accuvote system is now used in Georgia and Maryland, as well as other jurisdictions.
Despite the concern over Diebold's systems, Bear says there has never been proof of anything going wrong in an election. "They've always run 100 percent correct," he said.
ES&S offers equivalent products, including its iVotronic system, which has a red "Vote" button that will cast ballots as well as optical-scan technology that allows poll workers to tally votes at the precinct or at a central counting location.
While ES&S spokeswoman Meghan McCormick wouldn't discuss bid specifics, she said the company believes it will get the contract because it offers a "world-class voting system."
One company, Hart Intercivic, which offers the eSlate voting system, did not bid because Utah wanted a paper system plus a computerized system, according to spokeswoman Michelle Shafer. She said the company didn't meet that requirement.
tburr@sltrib.com
Speak out
Utah election officials are inviting residents to comment on new voting equipment during a public hearing Thursday night. The state plans to have a new system in place next year that would replace punch-card devices voters have been used for more than a decade.
Election officials have scheduled several experts to speak during the hearing, and then it will be the residents' turn. Those set to speak include: American Civil Liberties Union Utah Executive Director Dani Eyer; Common Cause's Anthony Musci, Kathy Dopp of Utah Counts Votes; Fraser Nelson of the Utah Disability Law Center; a League of Women Voters representative; and Thad Hall, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Utah.
The hearing starts at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the State Office Building, directly behind the Capitol. Parking is available in the lot west of the office building.
