The latest voting system prototype was on display in major events held last July. Election administrators, county officials across the state, various organizations and the general public got a firsthand look at the final system design and experienced the new voting experience in Los Angeles County. These events are a great opportunity for the public to interact with the prototype, learn more about the project and most importantly share their thoughts and recommendations.

The VSAP team gave prototype demonstrations at the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) Annual Conference in Redondo Beach on July 13 & 14, 2016. Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer Sachi Hamai also dropped by to experience a simulated voting process.

The VSAP team introduced the new voting experience to the members of the Los Angeles Votes Committee, followed by a prototype demonstration on July 21, 2016.

Dean Logan, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, shared the collaborative and participative process of designing the new voting system at the 2016 NACo Annual Conference and Exposition in Long Beach on July 22, 2016. Attendees interacted with the prototype and received more information about the project.

The VSAP team presented a status update to the members of the Quality & Productivity Commission of Los Angeles County on July 27, 2016. The Commission has supported and provided valuable input to the project since its early phases.

Stay tuned for developments, events and on-going activities in the project. We encourage your continued engagement in the process. Please email us if you have questions or concerns at vsap@rrcc.lacounty.gov.

July 30 marked the end of the system design phase and the transition to system manufacturing of the new voting machines. The VSAP team celebrated the milestone with a media event and a special reception with various stakeholders.

Various media outlets previewed the completed prototype and were able to see the future voting experience that many Los Angeles County residents will have. The completed prototype of the new voting machines was the product of dozens of earlier prototypes and feedback from more than 3,500 voters.

The hope is that the new ballot marking device will provide voters with an easier, customizable and more accessible way to mark their paper ballot. Voters of all abilities will enjoy the same improved, private, and independent experience.

As the team wraps up the current milestone, it will now prepare a strategy to launch an open competitive bid process for the manufacturing of the device.

Welcome to our newly designed website for LA County's Voting Systems Assessment Project. Since 2009 we have been on an exciting journey. Our goal has been focused on addressing an aging voting system for a large and complex electorate. There have been countless hours spent on assessing the challenges of our current system and the improvements needed for the nearly 5 million registered voters in LA County. You can read all about it on this site. One of our top principles for this project has been transparency - from the processes to the reports generated at every meeting. We hope you will find this new site not only educational, but also inviting. Thanks for joining us on this journey as we embark on the exciting future of voting in Los Angeles.

Dean Logan, Los Angeles County Registrar

Recent media has highlighted the need for improved voting equipment in the country. This LA Times editorial was recently published asking for Silicon Valley to weigh in.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-silicon-valley-california-voting-election-primary-20160608-snap-20160608-snap-story.html

IDEO handed off the next iteration of Ballot Marking Device prototypes! These prototypes are also referred to as Design Validation Units (DVUs), as their purpose is to validate that the system functions as designed.

Monica Flores, VSAP Project Manager

As a fairly new member to the VSAP team experiencing my election with the County, I realized a few things during this Presidential Primary Election. One important thing I learned is that voters lack confidence in the current system. Due to misinformation or lack of information of an already confusing Presidential Primary process along with a lack of modern and flexible technology, this past election saw many voters voting provisionally. A process for which there is a large amount of misinformation and has many voters questioning if their vote is going to be counted. For me, the Voting Systems Assessment Project represents a restoration in voter confidence. The project will result in a system which will not only facilitate the voting process but increase voter confidence by providing an accessible and simple to use voting machine and provide a wider range of options to cast a ballot. This system will minimize the need to vote provisionally and, with the voting center model, will ease the stress of having to vote in only one location. With increase of voter confidence, I believe an increase in voter turnout will follow.

Oscar Olmos, VSAP Project Assistant, RR/CC