Those fancy voting machines with touch-pad screens will no longer be used in elections in Clay County. County Clerk Kayla Wang, also the county’s election officer, recommended that the county follow what other counties are doing and return to voting on a paper ballot, according to the meeting minutes. The recommendation is based on presentations commissioners and the Clerk;s Office attended on new voting equipment, which included two demonstrations over the last couple of months. Expense is part of the reason the county is returning to paper ballots. The main reason is that the current election equipment that Clay County uses is no longer being made or supported, Wang said. Most of the state of Kansas is going back to voting on a paper ballot and using a precinct counter at each polling place to tabulate the votes.
Wang ordered the new equipment on Tuesday and plans to have it up and running for the August primary election. “I’m jumping forward because I’ve got the money saved up for them,” Wang said.
Quotes for new precinct counters were as follows: $43,700 by Unisyn Voting Solutions and $44,000 by Election Source. The quotes include a trade in of the current equipment that will no longer be used.
After much discussion and comparing the differences between both companies it was decided that Unisyn Voting equipment was the choice for Clay County, the meeting minutes said. Commissioner Mayo made the motion to purchase new voting equipment from Unisyn Voting Solutions in the amount of $43,700 to be paid out of Election General Equipment Fund. Commissioner Spicer seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Full Article: County to return to paper ballots – Clay Center Dispatch On-Line: News.