I
think we need to plan on most customers having both OS and TS in the future.
Most counties will need at least one OS to count Absentee ballots, and at least
one TS to meet ADA requirements. This is what we did in Georgia. I don't think
this will go away any time soon.
Karen Stubblefield-Emery Customer Service
Specialist Diebold Election Systems
Phone: 972-542-6000 x166 Email:
karen@dieboldes.com
Ken,
Unsolicited comments welcome. I do agree with most of the points in
your message. I do not look forward to making it work.
However, the counties are required to adopt an ADA compliant fix at the
precinct level. Most of those that have our OS system are going to go with a
blended system, at least in the near term.
Many have only recently purchased our OS and trained their staff,
voters, and pollworkers. They have been assured that it will work in
conjunction with our TS to satisfy ADA. I doubt they will
nullify that expenditure and make themselves look * by quickly
replacing it with TS (unless we offer them some very appealing
incentives). Also, many of our older customers do not want to leave the OS
world, and they will only purchase the TS as forced to.
Hopefully, the ADA requirements and the concerns you point out about
maintaining two systems will lead them all down the path to full TS. A few are
already looking in that direction. But, blended
systems are here for a while at least. If we make it work for them (no
fun in the support world), then they will likely stay with us if/when
they go full TS. If our blended system has major problems, they will
likely still go full TS, but with another vendor.
Mark
There has never
been even a small-scale test of this kind, to my
knowledge.
My unsolicited two
cents is that this is a crazy way to run an election. Expecting
jurisdictions to train for and administer two systems is just nuts. It
is the worst of a paper-based election with the worst of an electronic
election. I wouldn’t worry too much about whether GEMS can receive
results from two systems simultaneously. Even if that were the case,
we could always fix GEMS. I’d be worried about whether poll workers
can send them.
Ken
-----Original
Message----- From:
owner-support@dieboldes.com [mailto:owner-support@dieboldes.com] On Behalf Of Mark Earley Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 4:31
PM To: Support Subject: AVOS/TS blended system
uploads
With
the new ADA requirements facing our OS customers, they will likely be
knocking on our door to purchase TS units to compliment their existing OS
systems with one TS unit in each precinct - coexisting with the OS
units in a blended system. While there are some problems with programming
such a system (namely needing to have another Vote Center category created
for the TS units), these are hurdles that can be managed (I guess they
can - does anyone have thoughts on this?). My bigger concern is
handling the uploading of both TS and OS results via modem into the GEMS
server.
What
are the known issues relating to upload? I know that TS uses RAS
while OS uses regular serial com ports, thus the need for separate modem
banks. Can GEMS receive modem uploads from both OS and TS units at the same
time? Has this been tested in any kind of a medium to large scale test? Does
anyone have any experience with receiving both TS and OS modem
uploads?
Mark
Earley
850
422-2100 - office/fax
850
322-3226 – cell
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