2005 INNOVATIONS AWARDS PROGRAM
APPLICATION
Deadline: April 4, 2005
Be advised that CSG reserves the right to use or publish in other CSG products and services the information that you provide in this Innovations Awards Program Application. If you object to CSG potentially using or publishing the information contained in this application in other CSG products and services, please advise us in a separate attachment to your program’s application.
1. Program Name - Voter Verification service 2. Administering Agency – Montana Secretary of State’s Office 3. Contact Person (Name and Title) – Audrey Hinman, Bureau Chief, Architecture and Internet Services Bureau, Information Technology Services Division 4. Address – PO Box 200113, 101 N Rodney, Helena, MT 59620-0113 5. Telephone Number –406-444-1635 6. FAX Number – 406-444-2701 7. E-mail Address ahinman@state.mt.us 8. Web site Address – http://app.discoveringmontana.com/voterverify Select “Try the Demo” button on the bottom, right corner to view the service in its entirety. 9. Please provide a two-sentence description of the program. The national Help America Vote Act and Montana law requires citizens to present legal identification at polling stations. Montana’s Voter Verification service allows voting officials to verify the identity of voters, who forgot to bring identification to the polls, immediately through the state’s driver record database. 10. How long has this program been operational (month and year)? Note: the program must be between 9 months and 5 years old on May 1, 2005 to be considered. The Voter Verification service went live on June 8, 2004. 11. Why was the program created? What problem[s] or issue[s] was it designed to address? Indicate how the program applies to the “change driver” that you listed above.
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The Voter Verification service is the first of its kind in the nation. As part of the national Help America Vote Act (HAVA), citizens are required to present legal identification at polling stations. Montana’s Voter Verification service allows voting officials to verify the identify of voters through the state’s driver record database if they failed to present identification at a polling station. The service is unique in two distinct ways. First, the Voter Verification service allows officials from one state agency, the Secretary of State’s office, and all 56 counties to search for information on another state agency’s, the Department of Justice, mainframe database to verify voter information. This collaboration by state and county agencies benefits the citizens of Montana greatly. Secondly, HAVA was put into place as a means of ensuring the integrity of the elections process. The Voter Verification service allows those Montanan’s who did not bring valid identification to the poll not to be turned away without casting their ballot. In a state where people often live more than 20 miles from a polling station, we are proud to offer a solution that may keep hundreds of citizens from being sent home without being able to vote. The ability to legally identify themselves in order to vote provides a much better service to the citizens of Montana than being turned away or casting a provisional ballot that may not be counted. If the Voter Verification service was not available, HAVA also allows for those individuals who forget to bring their identification to the polls the ability to vote using provisional ballots. However, citizens who cast provisional ballots must then bring in a form of identification for verification to their county elections administrator by 5:00 p.m. the day following the election. If they do not meet this requirement, their ballot is not counted. Provisional ballots, although another source to allow citizens their right to vote is not a very efficient process. Provisional ballots must be separated from all other ballots cast on Election Day and counted. They are returned to the county election administrator’s office. If the voter who cast a provisional ballot wants their vote counted, they must then take time to either fax or mail in appropriate identification or stop by the administrator’s office in person. The administrator’s staff must use their time to verify the voter’s identification, and then will have the ballot officially counted and placed with all other ballots from Election Day. The Role of Government was the major force behind the creation of the Voter Verification service. It is the right of all people legally eligible to vote. The government must provide people the opportunity to vote and must also uphold a voting process that is fair, honest and trustworthy. The Voter Verification service gives people a chance to vote immediately, and ensures the integrity of the electoral process is maintained by verifying that a voter is identified and has the right to vote. 12. Describe the specific activities and operations of the program in chronological order.
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After the U.S. Congress passed HAVA, the Montana Legislature enacted a law during the 2003 legislative session that required Montanans to bring identification with them to polling stations. In the fall of 2003, officials from Discovering Montana, Information Technology Services Division, the Secretary of State’s office and the Department of Justice met to discuss the identification requirement law. From these meetings stemmed the innovative idea to create a service that would allow election officials the ability to check the identity of a voter in real time at the polling station if the voter forgot his or her I.D. A Work Order was signed on February 24, 2004 by the Secretary of State, the Department of Justice, the state of Montana’s Information Technology Services Division and Discovering Montana to begin work on the online service. Discovering Montana began coding the service in March of 2004. Coding and testing of the service took only six weeks and was completed the end of April. The project had a hard deadline of June 8, 2004 for the primary election. The service was launched for Montana’s primary election in June. 13. Why is the program a new and creative approach or method? The Voter Verification service is a new and creative approach to the election process. The service eligible voters the ability to vote even if they have forgotten their I.D. This is critical since never before in history have Montanans ever had to bring identification with them to the polling stations. For the newer generation of voters, this new requirement will become the accepted practice. However, for voters older than 40, this is a change in a 22 year or more tradition. 14. What were the program’s start-up costs? (Provide details about specific purchases for this program, staffing needs and other financial expenditures, as well as existing materials, technology and staff already in place.) There were no start-up costs to provide this service to the Secretary of State’s office. About two weeks of staff time was used to test the service in April. The Department of Justice used about four weeks of staff time to make coding changes to their mainframe. 15. What are the program’s annual operational costs? The Montana Secretary of State’s office does not pay any annual operational costs for this service. The service is maintained for free by Discovering Montana. 16. How is the program funded? The Voter Verification service is free for counties and state personnel to use and free to maintain. There was no general fund appropriation for the building of the service. This is possible through a public/private alliance between the Montana Secretary of State, the
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Department of Justice, the state’s Information Technology Services Division, and DiscoveringMontana.com. By not paying development costs for the service, the Secretary of State’s office saved over $25,425. Maintenance and enhancements to the service are also provided with no charge. 17. Did this program require the passage of legislation, executive order or regulations? If YES, please indicate the citation number. The service itself did not require passage of legislation or executive order. However, the service was created due to the passage of Section 13-13-114, MCA, 2003. 18. What equipment, technology and software are used to operate and administer this program? The Voter Verification service is an Internet based service. County and state employees need only a computer with access to the Internet to use the service. The service was built in php. It connects to the Department of Justice’s mainframe database called the Driver Control System. 19. To the best of your knowledge, did this program originate in your state? If YES, please indicate the innovator’s name, present address, telephone number and e-mail address. We believe the Voter Verification service is the only one of its kind in the nation. It was developed through a public/private alliance between the Montana Secretary of State, the Department of Justice, the state’s Information Technology Services Division, and DiscoveringMontana.com. The contact is Audrey Hinman, Bureau Chief, Information Technology Services Division, State of Montana. Her address, phone number and email are PO Box 200113, 101 N Rodney, Helena, MT 59620; 406-444-1635; and ahinman@state.mt.us. 20. Are you aware of similar programs in other states? If YES, which ones and how does this program differ? No. 21. Has the program been fully implemented? If NO, what actions remain to be taken? Yes. 22. Briefly evaluate (pro and con) the program’s effectiveness in addressing the defined problem[s] or issue[s]. Provide tangible examples.
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Since Montana adopted a stricter HAVA requirement on providing voter identification, it was important to provide a service to the systems of Montana to allow them the ability to vote at their polling station even if they forgot their I.D. The Voter Verification service provides them with this opportunity. The service also helps to alleviate the possibility of extra work on behalf of county election administers by reducing the number of provisional ballots. If the Voter Verification service was not in place, many voters would have to cast provisional ballots. These take much longer to count and verify on behalf of the county. Provisional ballots also require the voter to make a trip to the county election office with their identification by a deadline. This is an inconvenience for Montana voters. Before the release of the Voter Verification service, all 56 counties were able to view the service and respond with any comments they had on the look and feel. All comments received were reviewed and appropriate changes were made. A feedback mechanism is provided on the live application for users to provide comments at any time. This allows us to make improvements to the service in a timely manner. The service has links directly to the Secretary of State’s office, the state’s election office. Their phone number along with Discovering Montana’s is clearly provided on the site. Tabs on every page are provided with instructions and information on how to contact the Department of Justice regarding their data. The Voter Verification service has been designed in specification with the state of Montana eGovernment Service Certification Guidelines. Links to our privacy and accessibility statement are clearly published on the website. 23. How has the program grown and/or changed since its inception? The service was initially used for both the state’s primary and general election. The service will now start to be used for local races across the state, for example, school board elections. Over 600 searches were performed during the primary election and over 200 on general election day for verification purposes. As a result of the Voter Verification service, all of these voters were able to cast their ballot. No voter was turned away. 24. What limitations or obstacles might other states expect to encounter if they attempt to adopt this program? The Voter Verification service could be easily replicated where states have enforced stricter HAVA requirements on voters. The key to getting the service live is the collaboration with the two agencies that administer the driving record information and the election office. The technology used to tie into a state’s driving record system will vary
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from state to state. However, it should be a fairly simple process once the agencies have developed an agreement to share the information. Add space as appropriate to this form. Return to: CSG Innovations Awards 2005 The Council of State Governments 2760 Research Park Drive, P.O. Box 11910 Lexington, KY 40578-1910 innovations@csg.org
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