To the editor:

Election security is a huge concern due to cyberattacks that have occurred with government databases and the vulnerability of election systems. A bipartisan senate security committee recommended, at minimum, to improve election security, all local, state and national elections use paper ballots. Paper can be printed from voter selections on a machine, or can be paper ballots that voters complete with a pen. With paper, ballots can be verified to be sure they are what the voter intended, and they provide a backup to recount ballots if anything happens. Without paper, there is no way to verify the vote!

Brown County needed new election equipment because the lease had ended on previous equipment. It was a great opportunity to strengthen election equipment, and Brown County officials took full advantage of it.

The Brown County Commissioners announced at their Jan. 8 meeting that Brown County will have paper ballots voters can complete with pens. Each polling place will also have an electronic voting machine to provide accommodations for voters with any kind of challenges. Ballots will be counted in digital scanners with many security features.

We extend a big “thank you” to Brown County officials taking the lead in Indiana by moving to paper ballots ahead of many other counties! Thank you to the Brown County Election Board, Amy Kelso and Mark Williams, the Brown County clerk, Kathy Smith, and Deputy Clerk Laura Wert for spending well over 100 hours developing a comprehensive proposal to get bids, reviewing every bid in detail with the vendors and using an objective rating system to select the best options, considering many features including voting security, vendor support and price.

Thank you to the Brown County Council for requesting a thorough study of election system options, and to Mark Williams for executing and presenting this information, helping confirm Brown County was making the best decisions.

Thank you to the Brown County Commissioners for working with the election board to review their work, support negotiations and finally approve the election board’s recommendations. Brown County Commissioners were especially pleased to see that the new election equipment is well within the planned budget.

THANK YOU!

Shari Frank, president, League of Women Voters Brown County

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