An innovative voter-centered election system will modernize the way Los Angeles County citizens will cast their ballots. In partnership with Smartmatic, who was awarded a contract to assist LA County in the design, construction, and deployment of the new voting solution, Votem will facilitate the development of the new system’s interactive ballot display.

Since 2009, the Registrar-Recorder County Clerk has been working on an initiative called Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) to replace the County’s aging voting system that lacks technical and functional elasticity necessary to continue to accommodate a growing and increasingly diverse electorate.

“We are extremely pleased to be taking this important step forward in delivering on our commitment to modernize the voting experience in Los Angeles County and to lead in the development and implementation of a non-proprietary, publicly-owned voting system that is responsive to the needs and behavior of our electorate,” said Dean Logan, Registrar of Voters, following the awarding of the contract at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.

Votem and its team will be responsible for the interactive ballot display and implementation, as designed by and for Los Angeles County, in partnership with IDEO, during prior phases of the VSAP initiative that focus on security, accessibility and usability. The interactive sample ballot display will allow for voters to mark their choices on their mobile device – anywhere, anytime – and then scan in their QR code in person for fast and easy voting at a vote center.

The new system will make it easier for voters with accessibility considerations, and voters with limited English proficiency, to cast a ballot and will feature an independent, open-source developed vote tally system owned and operated by the County.

“We are honored to have been selected to partner with Smartmatic and LA County on this project.  We share a vision of more accessible and secure voting for every citizen; to earn the opportunity to implement this shared vision with the team at Smartmatic and LA County is an incredible opportunity.” said Pete Martin, Founder/CEO of Votem.

Originally down-selected as a Specialty Vendor during the LA County RFP process, Votem was then selected in partnership with Smartmatic after being scored by technical, legal and financial metrics in accordance with Los Angeles County’s competitive procurement framework. Votem has extensive experience building secure and verifiable election software for use in government elections complimenting Smartmatic’s extensive experience in manufacturing secure election technology.

To learn more about LA’s Voting Solution for All People (VSAP), see:

vsap.lavote.net