Dallas County chose a new vendor's equipment to check in voters at polling locations following e-pollbook device failures in the November election.
County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia and commissioners selected new vendor KNOWiNK, LLC.
The public is now invited to test drive the new tablets.
County Commissioner Elba Garcia says anyone is welcome to try the new electronic pollbooks during a demonstration in her district from 1 to 4:30 p.m. this Friday at the Oak Cliff Government Center, 702 E Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75203.
Commissioners and their staff tried them during a demonstration, but more testers will really show how the upcoming election check in process will go, Dr. Garcia said.
"Obviously, well, they were prepared for us — five chickens — but are they prepared for hundreds of people?"
Users interacting with the devices will help poll workers, administrators and trainers troubleshoot problems or glitches — and address user-confusion.
Texas decertified the last provider, Election Systems and Services, in December after their software glitched on devices during the fall election.
A new electronic pollbook provider was sought after the tablet devices used to check in voters glitched at some locations during the November election.
The software on some ES&S tablets election clerks use to check in voters in the last election had frozen the screens, then rebooted.
Elections administrator Heider Garcia said once they restarted, the electronic poll book possibly did not save the last voter as checked in.
"If you have any doubts, if you're hearing about this conversation, come on, join us, give us your opinion, try the equipment," Commissioner Garcia said.
Dallas County needs an electronic voter check in system to comply with the Texas Election Code because the county's physical size and voter population makes early voting at only one location "logistically unfeasible," according to the county
A voter check-in system without electronic poll books would force the county to revert to Election Day precinct-based voting.
Heider Garcia said more than 3,000 physical, paper pollbooks remain available if needed.
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