It is hard to ignore the increasing scandals around the integrity of the American election system. From voter fraud in Georgia to Russian meddling in the presidential elections, federal authorities are pondering how to go about preventing such future misdeeds. One company, ES&S, has held onto the lion's share of the voting technology business, but it's not the only player. Some other companies, such as Hart InterCivic and Dominion, have also made a splash.
The first thing to note is that there's a huge market for these election products. During the 2016 presidential election, more than a dozen foreign nationals were indicted in the special counsel's investigation of the Russian meddling in the American vote. And while most of the news coverage has focused on the Trump administration's claims of Russian meddling, many observers have noted the use of vote-buying in the U.S. Moreover, the question of the integrity of the election has become partisan, with Republicans and Democrats in Congress both claiming to be the victims of this esoteric practice. Here is a unique voting booth.
Vote buying is the newest fad in the voting systems industry. Companies that make this technological feat have been able to turn a profit with relatively low investment. These machines rely on specialized hardware that is only available through the manufacturer. Although a number of other companies have entered the fray, ES&S is the largest, with over 70 million voters utilizing its equipment.
One could argue that ES&S's machine was the most important component of a good voting system, but it is far from the only one. According to a study, more than a dozen smaller companies have entered the fray in recent years. Many of these companies have little in the way of product development and engineering staff. A few, like Hart InterCivic, have managed to make a few cents in the process.
ES&S has also succeeded in acquiring nearly half a dozen smaller companies. When it purchased the Global Elections Systems (GES) machines, it took over the majority of the market, but it was not alone in doing so. Meanwhile, it filed dozens of lawsuits, ranging from one to stop Jill Stein from obtaining information about its machines to one to scuttle a bid by a state to regulate the sale of a particular kind of voting equipment. But the company has also done a lot to improve its image. For instance, in response to a request by Bloomberg News, ES&S disputed the report's findings and said it was not a leader in election technology. Find out more about election supplies on this website.
ES&S has also lobbied politicians, bought a small fortune in advertisements, and donated to individual campaigns. In addition, the company's sales force has a vested interest in promoting its machines. However, as the company's spokesperson notes, the company doesn't disclose its financial records.
What's the point of all this? It's not enough to buy election products. To be effective, the industry needs to address the issue of voter identification and election security. Ultimately, voters need to be confident that their ballots count. Check out this related post to get more enlightened on the topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_symbol.
