When I served as St. Louis Elections Director back in 2005, I faced the same challenges many election administrators deal with today: long lines stretching around polling places, frustrated voters, and poll workers struggling to keep up with outdated processes.
My journey in elections began at the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. When asked to take over as St. Louis City Elections Director, I joined an office facing significant turmoil. The position came with tremendous responsibility – ensuring every eligible voter could cast their ballot efficiently while maintaining absolute integrity in the process.
Those years in the trenches taught me that the biggest pain point wasn’t just administrative – it was the voter experience. I wanted to solve this problem from the inside out – to find a way to verify voters quickly while maintaining security. That’s when the idea for Poll Pad was born.
After countless late nights and working through numerous election cycles, we launched our solution in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I still remember standing in that polling place, watching those first poll workers use it. The technology was basic compared to today, but seeing their faces light up told me we were onto something important. We had created a solution that addressed a real need – because I’d lived that need myself.
Poll Pad is the very product that, earlier this year, received the first-in-the-nation Election Assistance Commission (EAC) electronic poll book certification.
What started with three employees has grown to over 155 team members, most based here in St. Louis, with others strategically located throughout the country to provide hands-on support.
Today, our complete election technology suite includes:
• Poll Pad – America’s most trusted poll book and the first to receive Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Certification
• Poll Print – Our on-demand ballot printing system that enables vote center implementations
• Total Vote – A comprehensive election management, voter registration, and election night reporting system
One out of every four voters in the last November election was processed on a Poll Pad – a statistic that humbles me when I think back to those early days supporting our first elections in Missouri.
As someone who’s been in your position – working under public scrutiny, managing tight budgets, training volunteers, and shouldering the weight of democracy’s most critical process – I understand that election technology is only valuable if it genuinely solves your problems.
