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Elections Office
Kathy E. Van Wolfe
County Records Building
214 North 4th Street, Suite 300
Waco, Texas 76701
P.O. Box 2450
Waco, Texas 76703
Phone: 254 757-5043
Fax: 254 757-5041
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Dear McLennan County Voters:
After an extensive, 18-month long research effort by my
office, a new voting system has been selected for use in McLennan County. Beginning
with the November 8, 2005 Constitutional Amendment Election, the
eSlate polling place voting system and the
Ballot Now digital ballot
imaging system from Hart InterCivic, Inc. will replace our 21-year old optical scan
system. If you are an absentee voter, you will vote on a paper ballot. If
you vote in person, you will vote on a state-of-the-art voting system on which many
millions of votes have been cast accurately and securely.
The purchase of this new system
is necessary to comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) signed into law by
the President on October 29, 2002. This new law that requires that voting systems
be accessible to people with disabilities so that they may cast a private and
independent vote. It also appropriates funds to assist counties with the purchase
of new systems. Federal funds will cover the cost of the new system.
I want to take this opportunity
to share some system facts with you and to provide simple instructions through this
website on using the new system.
Our system is secure. From the generation of the ballot by our
office to the tabulation of votes at our centralized counting center, security measures
are in place to ensure no unauthorized individual has access to the system. Neither the vote
tabulation program nor any other component of the eSlate System is ever connected to the
Internet or an external network at any time.
Our system is accurate. The eSlate system uses a state-of-the-art
optical encoder, called the SELECT wheel to navigate through the ballot. This technology
provides 100% positional accuracy at all times.
Our system is durable. Because the eSlate is not a touch screen,
it is extremely durable, withstanding most harm from rough treatment, thus eliminating
the costs of repair.
Our system is easy to use. Whether voting absentee on our new paper
ballot or in person on the eSlate, a review of the system on this website will show
how simple each is to use. The eSlate
also meets all federal accessibility requirements.
Our system is truly bilingual. As required by Federal mandates,
all absentee ballots will now be printed in both English and Spanish. Voters who
vote on the eSlate at the polls during Early Voting or on Election Day will choose
between an English or Spanish ballot. In an effort to ensure all voters are aware of the new
voting system and how to use it, we will be providing voter education through a
number of venues: live demonstrations,
newsletters, Websites, emails, newspapers, videos on cable stations, and at your
polling places.
Be sure to try the demo on this website, “take the eSlate
for a spin.” And, as always, if you
have questions about the new system or would like to find out more about becoming
a poll worker, please call us at (254) 757-5043.
Sincerely,
Kathy E. Van Wolfe, McLennan County Election Administrator
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