Bureau County not involved in Leibovitz issue

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PRINCETON — The investigation into Rock Island County's county clerk has nothing to do with Bureau County, according to Bureau County Clerk Kami Hieronymus.

Federal officials are investigating the Rock Island County Clerk’s Office and county clerk Dick Leibovitz, in regards to Leibovitz's company called American Election Systems Inc. Leibovitz's company markets an AutoPoll book computer software program, one of which was bought by the Bureau County Clerk's Office in 2008.

According to reports by WQAD News 8 television, the federal investigation centers around Leibovitz's handling of hundreds of thousands of dollars received from the federal Help America Vote Act, or HAVA funds. According to the News 8 investigation, Leibovitz used HAVA money to develop election software for Rock Island County and then turned around and sold the software to other counties through American Elections.

In an interview, before the federal probe became public, Leibovitz admitted he used about $100,000 to have the special software developed, a software which he said was nowhere else on the market.

At that time, Leibovitz said he invented the AutoPoll book to better track registered voters on laptop computers, and then went into business for himself after other companies became interested and wanted to steal his idea.

''I didn't start this process to be in business. I started this process to solve a problem that Rock Island County had," Leibovitz said. "Then, I found some people who wanted to take the program and take it for their own. At that point, I copyrighted it. I certainly wouldn't have done anything wrong or illegal if I'd known it.''

On Monday, Bureau County Clerk Kami Hieronymus said the county bought the AutoPoll book software in 2008 through federal grant money. The computer program takes the place of pre-printed applications for voters. The $50,000 grant also included revenue for about 40 laptops to be used by Bureau County's election judges. The judges can use the Auto Poll Book and laptops to verify information about voters, such as precincts, ballot-styles and signatures.

Hieronymus said she does not expect to be questioned in regards to the Leibovitz investigation. It is clear cut as to how Bureau County got and spent its money for the software program and laptops, she said.

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