According to original reporting from Votebeat and the Texas Tribune on Wednesday, a company that makes software used by many Texas counties to manage their voter registration data unsettled election officials with the departure of two top executives, and mixed signals about the company’s financial health.
Tom Green County Elections Administrator Vona Hudson said the county does use Votec software, which she characterized as a good product that works well, and would prefer to keep using.
“We did receive a letter for a surcharge, last year, and we opted not to pay it, and they have continued to provide their services,” she said.
“I think their management of the company is most likely the problem, because the product is very good, and I would like to continue using the product, but with the current situation we’re in, I think we are going to have to explore other options, so it’s something I’ll probably be meeting about with commissioners court.”
Hudson said election administrators are slated to meet next week for their conference, which will be a good time to confer and compare notes with other county officials in the state.
Hudson said, to the best of her recollection, the annual cost of the Votec software was in the neighborhood of $12,000, and the company was asking for a 35 percent surcharge, which would amount to about $4,200.
According to the Tribune report, Votec Corp.’s chairman has said the company secured enough funds to continue operating for now, but the California-based company’s dire warnings about a shutdown just days earlier spooked county election officials, who must now consider whether to try to switch to a new commercial vendor or migrate to a state-run system they have concerns about, or stick with an unsteady partner in Votec.
The issue arises as election officials prepare for a constitutional amendment election Nov. 4.
