The Virginia Board of Elections on Tuesday voted to scrap a type of voting machine used by dozens of local governments, including Fairfax City and Arlington County, after identifying security concerns. The move leaves 30 counties and cities scrambling to replace hundreds of voting machines. Ten of those local governments have primary elections scheduled for June 9. During a public meeting, the Board of Elections voted 2 to 0, with one member absent, to decertify WINVote touchscreen voting machines. Edgardo Cortés, commissioner of the state Department of Elections, said continuing to use the aging machines “creates an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the election process in the commonwealth.”
He said he recognized the decision’s far-reaching repercussions, and he said the agency would help election officials figure out what to do.
The timing of the decision is particularly troublesome for local governments that had not budgeted money to replace their machines and now have little time to train staff members and election volunteers to use new equipment. Some are considering borrowing machines from neighboring jurisdictions.
Full Article: Va. Board of Elections votes to decertify some voting machines – The Washington Post.