To the Editor:

The state Elections Board plans to pay a private contractor $21 to $43 million to create a statewide voter database. That's on top of $1 to $2 million already spent for new staff and planning consultants. Future operation and maintenance costs are expected to be high too.

Five years ago our company created a statewide voter database that includes all voting-age Wisconsin adults for about $500,000. We have refined and maintained that file for the past 5 years at a cost of about $400,000. Our voter file is not exactly what the state wants or needs, but it's pretty similar.

In a recent article (Aug. 19, "Bidding for 1st computerized list of all voters...") the director of the Election's Board said we were unqualified to help with this project. He's wrong. We have 5 years of experience with Wisconsin voter files, and nearly 30 years of similar successful voter database experience in Michigan. Both major parties in Wisconsin use our data and are happy with its accuracy and completeness.

The state would be smart to use our existing statewide voter data as a starting point for their file, but they probably won't. In any event, we repeat our contention that they are spending too much. Legislators would be wise to curb this agency's spending spree.