Thank you for making the Accessible Voting Systems Vendor Fair Such a Huge Success!
On April 4, 2005, over 100 citizens with disabilities gathered at the State Capitol to test accessible voting systems and report their feedback through surveys.
By January of 2006, the Oregon Secretary of State must decide which voting system or systems to purchase to give citizens with disabilities the opportunity to vote privately and independently.
The feedback from the Accessible Voting Systems Vendor Fair will play a crucial role in helping the Secretary of State make this decision.
If you attended the Accessible Voting Systems Vendor Fair and would like to provide more feedback on your experience, please email gretchen.schulfer@state.or.us
Vendor Fair Survey Results Summary
Raffle Winners
Congratulations to the winners (listed below) of our raffle! In order to participate in the raffle, attendees had to complete between 1–7 vendor surveys.
R.V. Fling of Salem won a $100 gift certificate to DaVinci Ristorante donated by Saber Consulting
Deborah Wright of Roseburg won a $99 iPod Shuffle donated by Hart InterCivic
Jeanne-Marie Moore of Eugene and John Coonce of Redmond both won a leather portfolio donated by Sequoia
Marthana Guiglielmo of Springfield won a $50 gift certificate for Omaha Steaks donated by ES&S
Jerry Hathaway of Forest Grove won $50 in gift certificates donated by Dutch Brothers Coffee
Tamberea Aguas of Springfield won $50 in gift certificates donated by Target
Michael Lavine of Portand won approximately $50 worth of fresh coffe donated by Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living
Myra Faviarek of Roseburg won a $20 gift card donated by Wal-Mart
Barbara Reynolds of Salem won a $20 gift card donated by Smokin' Swine Publick House
Pat Savory of Salem won 5 music CDs donated by Borders
John Hinman of Salem won $20 in gift certificates donated by Denny's
Ronald Bell of Portland won 5 free smoothie coupons donated by Jamba Juice
Douglas Lee of Salem won 2 Value Meal coupons donated by McDonald's
Thank You!
Thanks to all of the volunteers, vendors and donors that helped make this event such a success. Listed below are the organizations who donated food or other items.
coffee donated by Bon Appetit
pastries, fruit, plates and napkins donated by Wild Pear Catering and Restaurant
Muesli sample packs donated by Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods
pears donated by Pear Bureau Northwest
cheese donated by Tillamook Cheese Factory
baguettes, rolls and cookies donated by Cascade Baking Company
assorted bread and cookies donated by Great Harvest Bread Company
Kettle chips donated by Kettle Foods
bottled water donated by Costco
bottled water donated by Safeway
chocolate bars donated by Euphoria Chocolate Company
use of 3 wheelchairs donated by Wheelchairs & Scooters
discounted signage printed donated by FastSigns
Press Release
Word version (24K)
text version (8K)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Gene Newton or Frank Garcia, Jr.
Secretary of State, Elections Division,
Help America Vote Act
Gene: 503 986 1506
Frank: 503 986 1527
Fax: 503 373 7414
gene.a.newton@state.or.us
www.uhavavote.org
www.oregonvotes.org
Accessible Voting Systems Vendor Fair Slated for April
Salem, OR, March 17, 2005 — People with disabilities will be able to vote privately and independently by 2006 thanks to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). To help the Secretary of State make decisions on just how that is going to happen, the HAVA Disability Subcommittee will host a vendor fair for those companies developing and/or producing voting systems that are accessible to people with disabilities.
The vendor fair will be held on April 4, 2005, from 8 AM to 4 PM in the State Capitol Galleria in Salem, OR. At this time there are 10 vendors who have expressed interest in or have committed to participating in the event. These vendors represent companies that are creating a variety of solutions to make voting accessible to people with disabilities. There will also be opportunity to register to vote.
Congress passed HAVA, in October 2002 to make sweeping reforms to the nation's voting process. The Act addresses improvements to voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 Presidential Election. It includes provisions to ensure that voters with disabilities are provided the opportunity to vote privately and independently and to have equal access to the process.
Gene Newton, HAVA Program Officer, chairs the Disability Subcommittee and is coordinating the event with the help of committee members and the Oregon Cross Disabilities Coalition (ORCDC).
The membership of the HAVA Disability Subcommittee is made up of people with disabilities, county clerks, election officials and advocates. The subcommittee has been tackling many difficult issues over the last year. They have made recommendations and implemented projects and programs for such things as alternate formats (for example, Braille, audio tape, large print, etc.) for publications and forms, improved accessibility of county clerk offices and county web sites, provided disability awareness training for county election officials, and a host of other issues.
Developing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to purchase an accessible voting system that allows people with disabilities to vote privately and independently will demand much of the subcommittees’ effort for the next year. “Our work on the RFP will be directed toward developing a comprehensive list of required and desirable functions of any accessible voting system that will be purchased by the state. The vendor fair is a large step in meeting this task”, said Mr. Newton. He also stated that the HAVA Team would be working with agencies and organizations that serve people with disabilities to ensure statewide attendance.
Frank Garcia, Jr., HAVA Manager, commented on the importance of the vendor fair. “The vendor fair will provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to have hands-on opportunities to try out several technologies that claim to provide voting accessibility. Having it in the capitol also provides us an opportunity to heighten the awareness of legislators, the public, and other advocacy groups.”
If you are interested in attending please contact your local organization for more details or call 1 866 ORE VOTES (1 866 673 8683).