Larry Anderson PO Box 205 4 Winslow Road Little Compton, RI 02837 401-635-8853 401-864-3442 (cell) larryanderson1@verizon.net September 15, 2026 Rhode Island Board of Elections
2000 Plainfield Pike
Cranston, RI , 02921 RE: Transmission of voting results with DS200 scanner/tabulator at November 3, 2026 General Election Dear Board Members: I served as Moderator, as appointed by the Little Compton Board of Canvassers, at Little Compton’s Precinct 1801 during the September 9 Primary Election. I will also be serving as Moderator for that precinct at the November 3, 2026 General Election. And I have also served as Moderator at many other Little Compton elections since 2008, including the 2024 General Election, during which I was Moderator for Precinct 1803, for same-day federal voting in the Presidential election that year. I write to express my concerns, as Moderator, about problems that arose transmitting voting results from the DS200 voting machines to the Board of Elections after the polls closed at the September 9 Primary Election. As you may be aware, after several failed attempts to transmit results from the DS200 located at the polling place (Wilbur-McMahon School), then from a DS200 located at the nearby Town Hall, Town Clerk/Board of Canvassers Clerk Heather Cook arranged for an officer of the Little Compton Police Department to personally deliver the USB drives containing our voting results to the Board of Elections offices in Cranston. Having served as a Moderator at the time, I am personally aware that similar transmission problems involving the DS200 equipment were encountered during at least the 2024 General Election. (My previous experience as an election Moderator involved use of the “Eagle” electronic voting machines, which by my recollection employed a different mode of providing voting results to the Board of Elections.) I am not qualified to assess or understand all the technical reasons why the electronic transmission of voting results from the DS200 equipment from our polling site is unreliable. But I gather part of the reason may be the chronically poor cellular service at the polling site and immediate surroundings (including Town Hall), at least with regard to connectivity using the cellular “modeming technology” in the DS200. To the best of my knowledge, town officials have no practical control over the strength and reliability of the cellular network at the voting site. Speaking only for myself, however, I feel that the current and ongoing situation regarding the transmission of election results from our Little Compton polling place from the DS200 machines is unsatisfactory, placing an undue burden on all local election officials and poll workers at the end of a long and stressful election day. We can expect high voter turnout at the November 3 General Election. Little Compton voters that day will be casting a complicated two-sheet ballot. In addition, Town Clerk Heather Cook informs me that we will be using two DS200 machines. Together, these factors could likely compound the confusion, delay, and possible security vulnerabilities that could arise if the DS200 machines again fail to transmit voting returns to the Board of Election in a timely manner. I well understand and appreciate the necessity of ensuring that the electronic transmission of voting results is secured—and must remain so—by transmitting results using only the encrypted hardware, software, and internet links authorized by the Board of Elections and provided by the vendor of the DS200 system. Nevertheless, as a local official who will share responsibility with others in overseeing an orderly and secure election, I write to request that the Board of Elections consider, and implement as needed, a contingency plan or alternative for the November 3 General Election that will ensure timely transmission of our Little Compton election results. I understand that any such contingency plan must be consistent with state law, state regulations, and the Board of Elections’ contract with the vendor of the DS200 voting equipment and system. I am not a lawyer, but a quick review of the detailed Sec.17-19-3 of the RI General Laws (“Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies) includes a provision that: Reasonable best-practices tabulating equipment shall be located in each of the thirty-nine (39) local boards of canvassers and the central tabulation equipment shall be located at the state board of elections. The state board of elections, in conjunction with the service contract vendor, no less than thirty (30) days prior to an election, shall test the tabulation system to be utilized for the election and determine whether regional and/or central tabulation is adequate, and if regional tabulation is required, so implement it. [Emphasis added.] I will be grateful for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions about this letter or my request, please let me know. In any case, I appreciate the efforts of the Board of Elections and its staff to ensure efficient and secure elections. Sincerely, Larry Anderson Election Moderator, Town of Little Compton