Not in state’s interest

The full-page Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative ad in the Democrat-Gazette was misleading and warrants rebuttal. I served as a state election commissioner for seven years, and 15 years as a county commissioner. I am a past president of the (now defunct) Arkansas Election Commissioners Association and represented the United States seven times as an international election observer. Therefore, I know about conducting fair elections and the delusion that hand-marked and hand-counted paper ballots provide results better.

Arkansas counties use Election System and Software (ES&S) equipment tested and certified by the U.S . Election Assistance Commission. Voting equipment consists of an electronic poll book and ballot printer (about $1,500), an Express Vote ballot marker ($4,000) and DS-200 ballot tabulator ($5,000). Voters have the opportunity to verify their completed ballot before feeding it into the tabulator. The tabulator also counts absentee ballots.

ES&S programs media for the voting equipment for each election. Some counties do it in-house. The election commission uses those thumb drives to program poll books, ballot markers and tabulators. While the saber-rattling about cybersecurity concerns may apply to other states, I am confident Arkansas’ system is secure at the county level.

Election results are immediate. Counting paper ballots by hand is time-consuming and results aren’t known for days after a major election. Uncounted ballots offer the opportunity for election fraud by unscrupulous election officials, and I believe Arkansas recently experienced that in one, maybe two counties.

If Arkansas switched to paper ballots counted by hand, about $7 million of voting equipment will be discarded. I suppose other states whose equipment is not as up to date as Arkansas would purchase the equipment at a reduced price.

The only election experience the ad’s author Col. Colonel Conrad Reynolds has is as a losing candidate. He changed his first name to Colonel after having his “nickname” (“Colonel”) removed from a ballot. As I pointed out to him, Colonel is a merited military rank, not a nickname. He did not sell fried chicken or manage Elvis.

Voters should ask “what is the Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative up to?” Their initiative is certainly not in Arkansas’ best interest.

STUART SOFFER

White Hall