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Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved the $1.4 million purchase of 1,100 new Poll Pads to speed voter check-ins at election sites and to aid curbside voters casting an electronic ballot.
Commissioners approved the recommendations of Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew, who reported the current Votec VoteSafe software purchased in 2011 is outdated, limited in supply, and slowing down the voting process.
Commissioners voted to replace that equipment with 750 Poll Pad Cellular, Express Vote All-In-One Stands from St. Louis-based KNOWINK to be used by election workers inside polling sites to check in voters, including when verifying voter I.D.
Commissioners also voted to purchase 350 curbside Poll Pads that can be held in one hand and include a hand strap on the back to help disabled voters cast ballots electronically without having to leave their vehicle.
Carew said the hand-held Poll Pads will replace the laptops now in use by disabled voters, and they will also give deaf voters a better line of sight with their interpreters at polling sites.
"They're having to balance the laptop in one hand and vote with the other," she said before lifting the new hand-held Poll Pad to demonstrate to commissioners. "So, this one does have an OtterBox protection and then of course a place for them to place their hand in it, so when they're at the poll site, they can just hold it like this and be able to see an interpreter that's assisting them."
An OtterBox is like the protective case on a smart phone.
Members of the deaf community, including Pastor Cassell Grice of Deaf Family Church on Drexel Ave, praised commissioners for taking action to improve the voting experience for deaf voters.
"We need access to be able to vote, and we need ... to have that interpreter provided," Grice told commissioners through an interpreter.
Commissioners thanked the members of the deaf community for their comments.
The majority of commissioners, including County Judge Peter Sakai, voted for the Poll Pads to be used by election workers and curbside voters, but Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody voted against the curbside devices because he found the indoor Poll Pads could be used for the same functions.
Carew told commissioners the indoor Poll Pads area much easier to set up and require fewer power cords, which would be welcome news for poll workers with an average age of 77. The current laptops in use to check-in voters also require two election workers to process each voter, while the new technology will not.
The Poll Pad application is built to run exclusively on the Apple iPad and meet state and federal level election certifications. The technology is in use across the country already, including in Dallas County.
The Poll Pads will not be in used for the June 7 runoff elections, including San Antonio City Council races, but should be ready to go for the November elections.
