For Immediate Release                                                             Contact:  Chris Nelson
Friday, April 22, 2005                                                                 Phone:  605-773-3537

PIERRE, SD – Secretary of State Chris Nelson would like to announce that Election Systems and Software (ES&S) will supply electronic accessible voting machines and optical-scan ballot counters for South Dakota elections.

To comply with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA), South Dakota will purchase one electronic voting machine per polling place.  HAVA is federal legislation intended to assist states in improving their election procedures and vote counting machinery.  It is a result of the problems that Florida and Missouri faced with their elections in 2000.  Congress appropriated 95% of the funds used to buy the voting equipment and county government is paying 5%.   

The ES&S Automark will allow an individual with a disability to cast a private ballot without help for the first time in South Dakota history.  This new technology will allow South Dakota voters to mark their optical-scan ballot by touching a screen.  All counties will use optical scan ballots and voters can choose to mark the ballot at a voting booth or with the Automark.

“ES&S has been part of South Dakota elections since the 1980’s,” Nelson said.  “They currently provide election services to 50 of South Dakota’s 66 counties.  ES&S has a proven track record in elections and I am very excited about our continued partnership.”