Secretary of State Nancy Landry has announced that all six voting system vendors that her office tested earlier this year passed certification. It comes as the office is working to select a new voting system to replace the current outdated one. Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s Office says the office did not reach out to the vendors; the vendors reached out to the office.
“Any vendor who wanted to bring a system to be tested, could do so. These just happen to be the six that answered that invitation,” Watson said.
Watson says the fact that all six vendors passed certification is a testament to their commitment to playing a role in secure elections.
“It’s certainly a testament to the fact that they want to participate in the procurement process, because if you’re not certified in the state of Louisiana with these standards, then you can’t participate in the procurement process,” Watson explained.
Watson says now that all six systems will go through the procurement process, Secretary Landry will either put out a request for proposals or an invitation to negotiate at some point next year, and the office will ultimately select one system that will be used by every voter in the state.
“The same system that will be used in East Baton Rouge Parish is going to be used in Evangeline Parish and Terrebonne Parish and Caddo Parish. All across the state it will be the same voting system,” Watson said.
