Local business may go statewide

Computer programmers with DelMar Information Technologies in the Purdue Research Park have been plugging away at ways to modernize local elections. Three counties including Tippecanoe and Cass are no strangers to the technology.

"Our software, we call it Electronic Poll Book because it really replaces the paper poll books that you would traditionally go in and find your name and you would put your signature on that," said Kyle Lutes, DelMar Information Technologies Founder.

DelMar wrote the software both county election boards used at vote centers during check-in on Election Day. Founder Kyle Lutes said his company designed the computerized poll book to transfer public information located in the state's registered voter system.

"When somebody comes in to vote, instead of signing your name on the paper poll book, they kind of do a check in process. They show a picture ID, if they have a post card that was sent to them, they bring that in and show that to the poll worker. The poll worker just kind of looks them up in the database and makes sure they find the right person. And pretty much clicks a couple of buttons and that shows that they voted," said Lutes.

Legislation supporting vote centers, which provide for electronic poll books like DelMar's creation, recently passed out of the Senate Committee on Elections at the Indiana Statehouse. Director of Communications Jim Gavin said Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita is one of the supporters of the statewide implementation of vote centers.

"The legislation that's moving through, we hope all the way through the Indiana General Assembly this session, would authorize any county that wants to adopt a vote center option, not just the pilot counties, but it would authorize any of the other 89 counties in Indiana, to adopt the vote centers and put them in place for their future elections,"said Gavin.

District 22 Senator Ron Alting said the Electronic Poll Book saved taxpayers more than $40,000 in local elections by eliminating paper poll books and the workers manning them. Gavin says that just the type of new innovation needed to make state elections more cost efficient.

"Technologies that would make elections more efficient, more secure, better for voters, and perhaps most important, less costly for everyone. If vote center legislation, as it is currently being presented to the General Assembly passes, it could mean more potential customers in the state of Indiana for companies like DelMar," said Gavin.

Lutes said DelMar has already marketed its product across the state and country. And, based on it results locally, he says the Electronic Poll Book database is ready to be implemented anywhere.

"Whenever we work on software we try to think is this something that could be (more commercial). We write it in a way that can be adapted for other people," said Lutes.

Gavin added that the state of Indiana would not mandate vote centers...only make way for their use. He also says the state would not hire one vendor for vote center work. Individual counties would have to choose and pay for companies like DelMar.