Levy Supervisor of Elections outlines Voting Equipment facts for County Commission
During the meeting Supervisor Jones provided Commissioners and members of the public with a fact sheet addressing the equipment. Attached a copy of this fact sheet for your viewing.
Levy County Voting Equipment Facts
How long has Levy County used Dominion Voting Systems, Inc.?
The equipment Levy County currently uses was purchased in 2014. Previously, Levy County’s voting equipment was serviced by Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. The prior equipment was originally purchased from Diebold.
Has Levy County ever had issues with voting totals while using the current equipment?
No, all audit results from each manual audit and recount conducted in Levy County have been 100% accurate.
Why are you purchasing the equipment in 2021 when it was originally purchased in 2014?
A decision was made to enter into a “Managed Service Agreement” in order to provide a lesser burden on the tax payers of Levy County and the county’s budget. The total cost of the equipment has been paid for over an 8-year period. The final payment of $38,222.16 is due by November 30, 2021 to retain the hardware. $435,455.00 is the total cost over the eight-year plan including the final hardware payment.
What was the vote count for the Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates in 2016 and 2020?
2016: Donald Trump - 13,775 votes, Hillary Clinton - 5,101 votes.
2020: Donald Trump - 16,749 votes, Joseph Biden - 6,205 votes
Below are factors that ensure your vote was tabulated and counted correctly during the 2020
General Election.
1. The Florida Department of State (Division of Elections) has certified every voting system
currently used in our state. At this time there are only two certified voting system vendors.
Those vendors are Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. and Election Systems and Software, ESS.
2. Our voting tabulation server has never been hooked to the internet or a network.
3. Our tabulation machines are publicly tested before each election. The public testing for the
General Election was held on October 14, 2020. Members of the Levy County Canvassing Board oversee the testing process. Please note public observation is always encouraged. Upon completion of the testing, each piece of equipment is sealed. Test cards from the test will be sealed and documented as well. On Election Day, Poll Workers are required to check the seals before setting up any of the equipment. This ensures that there has been no tampering with the voting equipment.
4. Every Levy County voter is given a paper ballot to cast their vote on. Paper ballots are
retained for at least 22 months.
5. Canvassing Board members verify all of the results on election night.
6. After each election an audit is conducted during a public meeting. The Canvassing Board
will randomly select a precinct and race to audit. Early Voting, Vote by Mail, and Election
Day ballots for that specific precinct are hand counted by Canvassing Board members.
Results from the audit are verified to the reported results from the Official Certification.
The public audit for the 2020 General Election was held on November 16, 2020. Our office
is pleased to say that 100% accuracy was found during the 2020 General Election Audit.
7. After every election the aggregate total number of ballots cast in each precinct as reported
in the precinct-level election results are compared to the aggregate total number of voters
with voter history to ensure reconciliation. Our numbers matched exactly. Since receiving the voting equipment in 2014, I have made it a priority to learn the tabulation software and hardware. I personally am responsible for programming the election database in order to ensure that every vote is counted. My staff and I are rigorously involved in the pre-testing of each piece of equipment to ensure that they are functioning properly. No vendor takes part in the testing process. If a question does arise, a representative from Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. will provide telephone support.
Currently, I’m in the final negotiations to purchase a system called Clear Audit. This will help take our audit process to a greater level of verification. All of our ballots will be separately tabulated through an independent system as a cross reference. Clear Audit is the only system capable of tabulating other systems ballots to provide a comparison of results for the sole purpose of post-election audits. The total upfront cost of this system is $27,910.80.
As Supervisor of Elections of Levy County, I would be more than happy to discuss any of these
matters in greater detail. I can always be reached by phone at 352-486-5163 or email
tammy@votelevy.com. I value the concern of every voter regarding our democratic process.
I would like to mention that Florida has great election laws to help keep our elections fair and
safe. Through my 26 years of elections experience, I’ve learned from past elections how to
make voting in Levy County more safe and secure. I hope that I have earned every voter’s trust
and that you can rest assured that your vote will be counted correctly in Levy County.
Below is the total cost of upcoming and recurring cost:
A one-time cost in FY21/22
Total cost to purchase hardware = $38,222.16
Beginning FY21/22 and every year after:
License $299 per unit x 30 units = $8,970.00
Warranty $275 per unit x 30 units = $8,250.00
Total cost per year = $17,220.00
Known cost to update batteries: $7,320.00
*This will be included in the FY21/22 budget - a one time cost