VIDEO: “Public Needs to Have Confidence” — Board of Elections Addresses Recent Ballot Failure

VIDEO: “Public Needs to Have Confidence” — Board of Elections Addresses Recent Ballot Failure

The Rhode Island Board of Elections met on Wednesday to address the “unprecedented” early voting failure which saw as many as 55 voters -- some trying to vote in Spanish  -- receive prompts on the screen of the voting machines to vote, in the case of Providence, for mayoral candidates who ran in 2018.

According to Board of Elections Executive Director Bob Raposa, only 6 of those 55 votes — which took place in Providence — have been voided so far.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

“Express vote ballots have been voided in Providence only. We have no confirmation from other communities that they have been voided,” said Raposa. 

Raposa began his testimony noting that the equipment was “brand new” to the State of Rhode Island this summer — and Joe Vitale, the Rhode Island Manager for vendor ES&S Software, said the company took “full responsibility” for the error. 

Vitali told the BOE that they created a template based on the 2018 election that was then updated in English and that they “failed to update some of the Spanish names for the selection where the voter would vote in Spanish.”

According to Vitale, it was up to the Secretary of State’s office to approve the final English ballot — but not the Spanish. 

On Wednesday, retired Judge and recent Vice Chair for the Board of Elections Steve Erickson wrote in GoLocalProv it was ultimately the legal responsibility for the Secretary of State to review and approve all ballots. 

At the end of the discussion, BOE Board member Louis DeSimone called for “two things.” 

“Protocol for ballot verification for Express Vote including a representative from the Secretary of State,” said DeSimon. “In terms of our testing protocol, we review that with the Secretary of State.”

“There needs to be written protocol,” he continued. “The public needs to have some confidence that there’s step by step protocol.”

The motion was approved.