Scott County will purchase 90 netbook computers to use during elections, bringing the total for use by the auditor’s office to 140. The purchase of the 90 Dell Latitude netbooks is $42,300. The purchase will be voted on Thursday by the Scott County Board of Supervisors.
The auditor’s office has been trying to introduce the small laptop-style computers into election use to help streamline how voter information is recorded. The computers are loaded with a software developed in Cerro Gordo County that links with the state’s I-Voter system.
Auditor Roxanna Moritz’s office used about 20 of the computers in the Nov. 2, 2010, election. All of the county’s precincts will have netbooks for the presidential election on Nov. 6, 2012.
Some high-traffic precincts, in parts of Davenport, Bettendorf and in LeClaire, likely will have two or three computers, said Roland Caldwell, operations manager for the auditor’s office.
The netbooks will allow complete access to voter information at polling places, make voter record changes easier to eliminate overtime and reduce paper usage. Caldwell estimated a $41,000 cost savings over two years with the computers.
Full Article: Scott County Auditor’s office aims to streamline voting.