THREAD: GA taxpayers are footing a $150M, 20yr bill for a voting machine contract that only lasts 10--and machines that may not last 6. The contract is full of hidden costs & leaves counties w/ more questions than answers. Highlights from our analysis at GeorgiaVotingMachines.com
The SOS failed to purchase enough machines for counties to comply with GA code. It took them 5 months to realize this & order more. Unfortunately, this purchase could add $5M in county licensing/warranty fees to an already staggering $47Million price tag. bit.ly/2Lq6czW
To put that in perspective, Fulton County may pay up to 45% more every year, $4.3Million total, in licensing/warranty costs under this new contract. DeKalb County may spend nearly 30% of its entire Elections budget on these same costs.
Even after the SOS orders more machines, counties are still on the hook for $6Million in voting machines because the SOS has still not accounted for population growth in GA…the 7th fastest growing state in the county.
Worse still, little to no info is given on what these costs include/cover. The SOS says warranty costs in the 10yr contract are “optional”-Yet the lifespan of most of the equipment is less than 10yrs. Counties can't use cheaper local workers to fix equipment under warranty.
What we do know is extremely concerning. For example, the HP printers Georgia’s BRAND NEW VOTING SYSEMS use are so old they’ve been discontinued by the company.
And the 8,000 (2yr old) iPad poll books come with a $111/piece annual warranty fee. Even though brand new iPad warranties are only $49 from Apple. These iPads are somehow supposed to last counties 7 years. Costs to replace the pollbooks are not even included in the contract…
And the machines require so much additional electricity that counties may need to add precincts. The SOS they will try to inspect election day polling places before the march primaries…but info on this scant and doesn’t include early vote locations.
Our analysis shows this new system could cost Chatham over $2M, Gwinnett $5M & Fulton $8M. Not Included: the cost to open more precincts bc of previously unknown electrical requirements of machines, licensing costs for additional equipment, tables, storage, and much more.
Georgians and Georgia counties deserve answers. Georgians deserve a secure election system that works for voters and does not bankrupt counties. Read our full analysis here: georgiavotingmachines.com
