Nine Towns to Soft-Launch New Tabulators in Advance of 2024 General Election
Today, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, together with Governor Ned Lamont, announced a historic investment in modernizing Connecticut’s elections infrastructure through the purchase of a new, paper-based election system from vendor Election Systems & Software (ES&S). This landmark agreement represents the state’s first equipment upgrade in nearly 20 years and will include nearly 2,700 state-of-the-art tabulators.
Secretary Thomas’ office will fully deploy the systems to all municipalities by the summer of 2025. The upgrade of the state’s aging tabulators was made possible thanks to a funds from a $25 million bond approved by Governor Lamont and the Bond Commission on October 6, 2023.
“This is a pivotal moment for Connecticut’s elections, and one that is a longtime in the making,” said Secretary Thomas. “Through this milestone tabulator upgrade, we’re providing our election administrators with the modern tools they need to run efficient elections. I thank Governor Lamont for his support and recognition of the critical need for updated equipment in our state.”
Secretary Thomas continued: “We were careful to choose the right vendor that prioritized high security standards and ease of use, and we found that in ES&S. Over the course of several decades, ES&S has established itself as a leading provider of reliable and secure election systems that millions of voters across the country cast their ballots on. As a bonus, ES&S tabulators are similar to our old machines, which will make for a seamless transition for both registrars and voters.”
“The paper ballot tabulators we use to record votes are the backbone of our election system, and it is essential election officials have access to equipment that calculates results with accuracy and timeliness,” Governor Lamont said. “Although our existing machines continue to function, they are more than 18 years old and election officials tell us that they are beginning to show their age. Replacing this equipment now will ensure that election workers continue to have the tools they need to conduct an Election Day that runs smoothly.”
Chris Prue, President of the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut added: “I would like to thank the Governor, the Secretary of the State and all others that have been involved in updating Connecticut’s election infrastructure. We are excited to roll out the next generation of voting machines to towns across Connecticut. These machines will help bring our election infrastructure into the 21st century and allow us to continue to provide Connecticut voters with elections they can trust.”
Secretary Thomas also announced that nine Connecticut towns will receive an early delivery of the new equipment, for the November general election. This initial deployment will provide an infusion of additional tabulators, allowing for the redistribution of older machines to other jurisdictions in need.
The participating towns are:
- Glastonbury
- Hamden
- New Britain
- New Haven
- Rocky Hill
- Southington
- South Windsor
- Vernon
- Wethersfield
ES&S was selected from among four vendors who responded to the Office of the Secretary of the State’s Request for Proposals (RFP). ES&S’ tabulators, similar to existing machines in Connecticut, are paper-based and are not connected to internet. As part of the RFP process, the UConn Voting Technology Research Lab vigorously tested the prospective tabulators to ensure their security.
“We are honored to have been selected to provide our secure election technology to the state of Connecticut,” said Tom Burt, ES&S President and CEO. “ Our team is dedicated to delivering reliable solutions and services that empower voters and election officials alike. This partnership reflects our commitment to ensuring that every vote is cast and counted accurately and securely. We are excited to support Connecticut’s municipalities in delivering an efficient, transparent and secure election process that its voters can trust.”
“A team of UConn computer scientists, professors and researchers worked for days on trying to expose vulnerabilities in these tabulators and failed,” said Dr. Alexander Russell, Director of the UConn Voting Technology Research Lab and member of the RFP committee. “ES&S scored high marks for the security of their hardware and software as well as their work to ensure they will meet the next reiteration of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) set by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.”
The agreement with ES&S includes:
2,699 — DS300 machines, ES&S’ newest purpose-built poll place scanner and tabulator seamlessly supports all poll place and vote center ballot scanning and tabulation from early voting through Election Day. The DS300 can also serve as a tabulator for absentee voting and during recounts and audits.
38 — DS450 machines, a high‐speed scanner and vote tabulator is capable of processing 72 double-sided 14-inch ballots per minute – without stopping for overvotes, write-ins or blank ballots.
13 — DS950 machines, a high-throughput central scanner and vote tabulator is designed to process absentee, early vote and Election Day ballot scanning and sorting in less time. This state-of-the art technology easily and seamlessly scans and tabulates previously folded and damaged ballots with fewer interruptions, allowing for quicker processing and with a longer life span.
ES&S’ Electionware Election Management Software package.
Pictured clockwise from left) South Windsor Mayor Audrey Delnicki, State Representative Tom Delnicki, Governor Ned Lamont, ROVAC President Chris Prue, ES&S VP of Account Management Adam Carbulllido, UConn Voting Technology Research Lab Director Alexander Russell, State Representative Ron Napoli, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas.
