Jacksonville, FL (Aug. 17, 2022) – Florida-based Enhanced Voting, a leading national provider of secure and accessible election technologies, has acquired the assets of Oregon-based Five Cedars Group, a leading West Coast supplier of remote balloting solutions. Five Cedars Group is a nationally recognized provider of accessible ballot solutions and pioneered accessible HTML ballot usage in the United States.
As announced today at the Oregon Association of County Clerks meeting in Pendleton, Oregon, both organizations are committed to a fully-supported and seamless transition for Five Cedars Group’s current customer base of 40 local election jurisdictions throughout Oregon and Hawaii.
“At Enhanced Voting, our mission is to provide the most secure, inclusive, and innovative solutions possible to our state and local customers so they can provide superior balloting options to their voters,” said Aaron Wilson, president of Enhanced Voting. “Acquiring Five Cedars’ technology and contracts helps fulfill our mission by expanding our product portfolio and customer base,” said Wilson. “I am especially grateful to John for staying on and sharing his vast expertise with us.”
The Five Cedars Group, founded in 1993 in Portland, Oregon, by John Schmitt, developed a fully accessible ballot in 2007 called the Alternate Format Ballot (AFB) by working collaboratively with state and local election officials in Oregon. The AFB was first used by Oregon voters with disabilities in 2008. Since then, local election jurisdictions throughout Oregon and Hawaii have successfully used AFB for voters with disabilities and military and overseas voters. Additionally, the AFB is currently certified for use throughout California and Ohio.
“Enhanced Voting is a transformative leader in electronic ballot delivery for overseas military and civilians and fully accessible vote-by-mail for voters with disabilities,” said John Schmitt, president of Five Cedars Group. “I could not have found a better group of election technology experts and people than Enhanced Voting to carry on our company’s legacy. With my pending retirement next year, they will support our wonderful clients in Oregon and Hawaii with expanded solution offerings,” said Schmitt.
Terms of the acquisition of assets are not being disclosed. For more information, contact Enhanced Voting at team@enhancedvoting.com.
About Enhanced Voting (Web: EnhancedVoting.com | Twitter: @EnhancedVoting)
Since 2013, Florida-based Enhanced Voting, founded by election technology and security expert Aaron Wilson, has worked with election officials throughout the United States to supply voting solutions that are secure, easy to use, and accessible to all. The company supports electronic ballot delivery for overseas military and civilians and fully accessible vote-by-mail for voters with disabilities. The company’s state-of-the-art electronic ballot delivery and other election technology solutions have been used in election jurisdictions throughout states that include Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia.