RALEIGH — The State Board of Elections (NCSBE) voted unanimously to approve a new voting system for use in North Carolina elections.
The EVS 6.3.0.0 system from Elections Systems & Software (ES&S) is now one of several state-certified voting systems which counties can choose in determining the best system for casting and counting ballots of their voters.
The new system includes an upgrade to the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system, increased memory capacity, the new DS300 polling place scanner/tabulator, the new DS950 high-speed scanner/tabulator, and new reporting and ballot design modules, among other features, according to the company.
“The State Board’s unanimous decision to certify this voting system gives county boards of elections and boards of commissioners another option when deciding which system best serves their voters,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NCSBE. “This system has been through rigorous testing as part of federal and state certifications, and it is certified, used, and audited in other states. Combined with many other safeguards in our elections process, election officials are confident that this system will ensure accurate, secure elections for our voters.”
The system casts paper ballots with either a pen to mark selections or a touch-screen device called ExpressVote, which prints a completed paper ballot that the voter double-checks and inserts into a tabulator.
The NCSBE determined the new system meets all criteria defined in North Carolina’s Elections Systems Certification Program.
The company must now meet several administrative steps before the system can be used.
