Election board let voters down

I am new to DuPage County and a serious voter. So, I am appalled by the failures of the DuPage Election Commission during the recent primaries.

Ms. Ficker Terrill has let us down twice. First, she failed to ensure that a sampling of the election kits were tested well before voting occurred. A test of even half a dozen kits would have revealed the ender card problem. If done in a timely fashion, new ender cards could have been obtained and no harm done. This is a no-brainer tactic in the world of technology.

Second, and more importantly, in her apology, Terrill failed to acknowledge her own culpability in the error. Yes, the vendor made a mistake. But no, the buyer is responsible for ensuring the product meets specifications and expectations. This insurance that the product received was as expected was totally disregarded. Ms Ficker Terrill made assumptions based on the vendor's history so took the easy way out. This easy way has hurt the faith of the DuPage voters in the existing system. And an apology blaming the vendor alone just does not cut it.

County officials should put serious pressure on state legislators to allow the county to consolidate the Election Commission with the county clerk's office. Otherwise, we may face repeat mea culpas over ever more failures during the election process.

Jamie Smith

Wheaton