Front page of Tribune's Metro Section: Part of Vote Blame on Orr [View All]

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Part of vote blame on Orr

Election report faults county clerk, technology firm

By John McCormick
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 9, 2007

Cook County Clerk David Orr and Sequoia Voting Systems are both to blame for vote-tabulation delays that triggered confusion and distrust following the November election, a panel of experts has concluded.

Led by retired federal Judge Abner Mikva, the Orr-appointed panel found that a combination of "technology failures in multiple areas" and a lack of testing triggered a spiraling series of glitches that left some results unclear for days.

The group's findings, documented in a 29-page report obtained by the Tribune, suggest that much work is needed if similar problems are to be prevented in the February and April municipal elections.

"Although technology problems occurring on Election Night constituted the primary cause of the reporting delays, operational shortcomings in the process leading up to Election Day also played a role in failing to understand and thus mitigate the risks," the report said...

For full story:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0701090215jan09,1,165486.story?coll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed