Clerk requests $11,500 for poll pads, new booths and extra staffing for expanded election workload

The county clerk told commissioners that aging electronic poll pads and voting booths are creating operational risk and manual workarounds that increase error potential for elections. She requested immediate funding of $11,500 for compatible electronic poll pads, replacement privacy booths (24 regular and two accessible units at major polling sites), and $3,500 for on-site shredding of approximately 50 boxes of old ballots and obsolete equipment.

"Our poll pads are 10 years old and will not take updates, which runs the risk of us having to use manual poll books," the clerk said. She also asked the board to authorize a three-quarter time, seasonal employee (up to 1,300 hours at $16/hour) to handle election processing and reduce excessive overtime: "We have 90 different ballot styles for the primary and there's not enough hours in the day to do everything required by the state," she said. Commissioners acknowledged the needs and said they would weigh the requests as part of the broader budget review before formal adoption.

The clerk noted that some election-related costs (software support and transitions to a new state system) are expected to rise, and that the county has no direct state reimbursement for the voter registration system (Elvis). She asked that the commission consider reallocating reserves or fund transfers to address urgent equipment priorities before the general election.