Voting yea or nay is arguably the most important part of a lawmaker's job. That's why workers are installing new digital voting systems in the House and Senate chambers of the State Capitol in Helena.
The 2007 Montana Legislature authorized spending $1 million to replace the outdated voting systems that legislators have been using for the past 15-20 years.
"The new systems will be far more reliable," said Steve Eller, computer system manager for the Legislative Services Division. "The old ones needed frequent maintenance, and replacement parts were hard to get. We had problems with static electricity. Sometimes we had to record some legislators' votes manually because vote buttons didn't work."
Since July, workers have been rewiring lawmakers' desks, replacing vote display boards on the chamber walls, and installing control panels for the new system. They expect to finish by the end of September.
The new systems will see their first official use on Jan. 5, 2009, when the 61st session of the Legislature convenes.
"We'll be doing some intensive testing over the next several months," Eller said. "We're all acutely aware of how important it is for these systems to work on day one of the session."
Eller said he expects to have to make a few minor adjustments in the early days of the session.
"We'll be prepared to make those," he added. "It's possible they might slow things down a bit, but they won't stop the Legislature from doing its job."
The new systems, like their predecessors, will feature a panel of buttons at each lawmaker's desk. Legislators will be able to vote yes or no, with their votes lighting up next to their names on a large display board at the front of each chamber. A green light signifies a yes vote, while a red light indicates opposition.
One new feature is a button that will alert the presiding officer when a legislator wants to speak to a bill or an amendment. In the past, legislators have had to raise their microphones or hands to signal a desire to speak.
"This will give the presiding officer a more methodical way of keeping track of who's in line to speak," Eller said. "It will eliminate the need for sticky notes and hand-scribbled lists."
He said another major advantage of the new systems is that they will work interchangeably with other legislative computer applications, including the Web site.
The Legislative Services Division purchased the new system from International Roll-Call, a Virginia-based company with 60 years of experience designing and installing voting systems and software, particularly for use by legislative assemblies.
