Agenda Packets - 1988/01/25 - Laserfiche WebLink

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F.� Mar4� 251): e ia�}1: Geurt Wheaton, Illinois 60187 (342) 668.2987 PLC%;1•I _� _ �''� •1 January 16,1988 To: County Auditors,City Clerks and Township Clerks From: Ed Lellbach Subject: Decertification of Punched Card Equipment For the past six months I have been trying to communi- cate with Geoff Ryan of the Business Record Corporation (BRC) regarding their position for the new party preference requirement. Finally, about a week to ten days ago, I was informed that their company made a decision notto upgrade any equipment that they did not develop from inception. Since they have purchased the Computer Election Systems (CES) and Government Data Systems (GDS) who designed and developed the Ballot Tab PBC, Petro -fit PBC and PEPS computers, these units will not be upgraded. There is an exception to the PBC but those will have to be tested on an individual basis with the Secretary of State. Since BRC is the only organization that can certify equipment in Minnesota, all the communi- ties presently using the a.:ove mentioned equipment have a problem .in 1988. I have spoken to Joe Manske from the Secretary of State office and he has also spoken to BRC and see what they might do to help you. The BRC people did respond with certifying their own developed equipment, namely, the ELPAC, PBC-5 and PBC-6, another punched card system. My recommendations at this point would be as follows: * Ask your legislature to amend the changes to allow your community to use your existing equipment 'for tha C_neral Election only and use paper ballots for the Primary, thereby giving you time to purchase new type of equipment,namely, optical mark read. * Go back to paper ballots for 1988 * Ask your legislature for special dispensation for 1988 because of the costs involved and your budget is already set for 1988.