The Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
has recently announced the selection of Everyone Counts as the proposed online
voting vendor for the 2016 Neighborhood Council elections. The contract is for 50 elections with online
and telephone voting options, for $552,000. A verifiable voter registration
service is included.
Online voting has the ability to significantly increase
participation in the Neighborhood Council system. Currently, voters who want to
participate in Neighborhood Council elections are forced to vote in person on
one day in a single location for a period of between 2-6 hours unless the
Neighborhood Council offers vote-by-mail, which only 15 Neighborhood Councils
do. On average, there were only 264 votes per Neighborhood Council in the 2014
elections when tens of thousands were eligible.
Voters will have the opportunity to vote from their
computer, smart phone or telephone land line.
Besides many government elections in 165 countries
Everyone Counts has conducted the voting for the Oscars and Emmy’s, which
apparently require more security checks than many government elections. In 2014 alone, Everyone Counts administered
540 primary and general US elections, delivering 5,000 ballot styles to voters
across 27,000 precincts for 231 counties.
Once a voter is registered, they will be provided
security information to sign-in and cast their vote online. They will only
receive the ballot for which they are qualified to vote. Online voters can
review their vote prior to submitting. One vote per voter.
Online voting will replace any vote-by-mail options that
Neighborhood Councils may have.
If the contract is approved this March, after public
discussion, it still must go to the Mayor’s Office and the CAO for final
sign-off. Check the www.EmpowerLA.org calendar for more information.
William J. Kelleher, Ph.D.
Author: Internet Voting Now!
