By
Benny Polacca
The Osage Nation Election Board has approved a contract with a Texas-based election company to purchase software, equipment and other services for the forthcoming 2016 election year.
Earlier this year, the Election Board gave its initial blessing to Austin firm Hart Intercivic to seek its services and equipment for the upcoming election. Next June, Osage voters will cast votes for six seats on the ON Congress and proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the ballot.
This coming election year, the Nation will be among the first government municipalities in the U.S. to use Hart Intercivic’s newly designed election equipment/ software called Verity.
ON Election Supervisor Alexis Rencountre said the office will purchase Verity equipment and software for future elections and will move toward bringing more election day duties in-house once staff is trained on working with the equipment and software for future elections.
Hart Intercivic has experience working with government entities of various sizes using older election software and equipment, including Oklahoma state elections.
“Hart is no stranger to the people of Oklahoma and the Osage Nation,” Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic said in a company statement. “We created a rock-solid, custom solution for the state of Oklahoma that is used in every local, state and federal election from border to border.”
Rencountre said the Nation’s contract with Hart Intercivic was approved in September, and the initial annual fee is $35,875, which includes software, equipment, licensing and support, and new implementation services. After the first year of service, the annual fee is $1,430 for license and support, and there’s an additional service bureau fee of $2,530 for each election held.
Election Code amendments
The Election Board is also awaiting consideration and action by the Fourth ON Congress to pass an amended election code which would set forth changes, including a timeline of dates and deadlines for the upcoming election year.
A proposed election code with amendments developed by the Election Board (ONCA 15-76) remains tabled in the Congressional Governmental Operations Committee after it received initial consideration during the fall Tzi-Zho Session. It’s unknown if the Congress members will consider the revised election code during the scheduled November special session because it was not listed on the executive proclamation when the November issue of the Osage News went to press.
For more information on the Election Office, visit its website at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/elections or call (918) 287-5286.
Original Publish Date: 2015-11-10 00:00:00
