The timetable is awaiting final approval, but vendors can start looking for a Request for Proposals (RFP) within the next few weeks, which will include “design, development, configuration, implementation, and support services” for a new system, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk‘s Office (RR/CC) told Techwire via email Monday.
The EMS is the centerpiece of how the county manages the voter database and maintains a cyber-secure infrastructure for election-related data.
“In 2020,” the RR/CC’s Office says, “Los Angeles County modernized the voting experience with the new Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) voting system – which introduced new applications and technologies. Now it is the county’s vision to implement an EMS that is modern, scalable, secure, and meets the county’s current and future needs.”
The VSAP system, first stood up in 2009, has been updated in the ensuing years. Now, the county is looking at a whole new EMS — the key to managing the voter registration and election processes.
“RRCC will be seeking bids from the primary vendors later this year for this solicitation,” the RR/CC says. Though some details still must win final approval before being made public, the needs of a new system will likely include:
- Support for core voter records, elections, petitions, vote by mail, election results, content management and administrative functionality at the scale of Los Angeles County.
- Provide modern tools that can accommodate self-service reporting and data analytics capabilities.
- Integrate with the broader ecosystem through a modern API gateway/integration capability that prevents proliferation of point-to-point connections.
- Support a long-term software life cycle and a path for continuous modernization.
The county is aiming to have a new system in place before the November 2024 general election. The first step will be release of the RFP to pre-qualified vendors. A tentative timeline with key dates for vendors is being finalized, and Techwire will report these developments as they’re made final.
Those seeking to register to do business with the county can find the necessary information online.
Aman Bhullar, chief information officer of RR/CC, and Armine “Amy” Margaryan-Farsakyan, IT supervisor for the Voter Systems Unit, are among those leading the project.
