Ballot machines on order

By Lynford Simpson, Staff Reporter

ORDERS FOR the procurement of 40 machines capable of triggering a ballot by matching fingerprints are likely to be placed with the two overseas-based companies shortlisted for the purpose within the next two weeks.

The machines should arrive in the island in time to be used in local government elections due by September, following a pilot test to determine their effectiveness.

The cost of the equipment has not been disclosed although the chairman of the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), Professor Errol Miller, told The Gleaner some time ago a budget had been set aside for the purpose.

He told The Gleaner on Monday that the technical committee set up in April to determine the specifications to which United States-based Cogent Systems Ltd, and French company SAGEM, would build the equipment had completed its work.

The EAC accepted the specifications at a meeting last Thursday and the professor said the companies should by now be notified.

"We are in the process of getting feedback from the companies. We are giving them an opportunity to comment on the document and to seek our clarification before we make it public," Professor Miller said. He is confident the orders will be placed by the middle of June.

The decision to purchase the machines was reached after the EAC examined the reports of the five independent evaluators who observed a demonstration by the companies in February. The procurement of machines to be used in elections is the second phase of the electoral reform process.

Phase one saw the production of one of the cleanest voters' list in the country's history, which was achieved with the use of hi-tech equipment provided by Cogent. Ongoing enumeration means the list is now constantly updated and cleaned.

When contacted at his California office last week, Wally Brieffs, senior vice president at Cogent, said he was awaiting word from the Jamaican authorities for him to proceed.

In operation since 1990, Cogent has provided fingerprint matching equipment for a number of countries including Britain, Thailand, Italy, Turkey, Guatemala and Bulgaria.

Mr. Brieffs confirmed Jamaica would be the first country to use the equipment in an actual election, but said he anticipated no major problems.

According to him, "it does not matter what the system is being used for. Whether for immigration purposes or for border control, the concept remains the same." He said the software designed for Jamaica was "user friendly and designed to keep the election flow."

"Our business is fingerprint, biometric identification. That's all we do," Brieffs said. "We have been tested by numerous countries, one of our strongest tests being by Britain's Home Office." He said the Home Office had a database of over five million fingerprints, with some created from just "partial information" collected at crime scenes.

Cogent's senior vice president does not foresee any major hiccups during an actual election in Jamaica because of the built-in mechanisms which do a quality check of fingerprints.

"If a fingerprint is damaged the system will know that." In such cases, an exception to the rule clause would still allow the person to vote providing the individual was able to provide the correct answers on the biographic data stored in the database.

At a press conference in April, Professor Miller said he was confident the technology existed to do the job. Once the machines arrive, simulation exercises will be conducted in different regions and a pool of persons capable of training others to use the equipment will be created. A public education campaign will also be conducted.

With the cost likely to run into millions of dollars, the EAC is already exploring other uses to which the equipment can be put when not being used in elections. Areas being examined are law enforcement and the education and social security systems.

Back to Lead Stories