County elections official warns of Secretary of State plan for single‑source testing and flags early‑voting costs

A county elections official who identified himself in the meeting as David told commissioners that all filings for the August election are complete and that early‑voting preparations cost roughly $48,126.77 so far (pending payroll confirmations). He said there are 15 proposals on the county ballot and outlined usual clerks’ logic-and-accuracy testing procedures.

David cautioned commissioners about a Secretary of State plan to negotiate with a single‑source supplier that would deploy automated test decks developed by university researchers (the transcript cites model work by professors at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago). He said clerks and vendors were not consulted and that the proposal, as described by a state director (referred to in the transcript as Director Brader), could require sharing ballot materials and test data with non‑election‑accredited parties. “None of us agreed with turning our data over to non‑election accredited people,” he said.

The county official said the Secretary of State’s office indicated the change would not be mandatory for the 2024 election cycle but that the future mandatory status was uncertain. He encouraged commissioners to contact the Secretary of State for more information and offered to provide contact language and the director’s remarks.

What’s next: The official offered to provide commissioners with contact information for state officials and verbatim language to express concerns. The board record does not show a formal county resolution or action on the state testing plan during this meeting.