Nebraska needs to confront what may be a $20 million challenge in replacing its rapidly aging electronic election technology, Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln believes. Hansen introduced a legislative resolution (LR403) Tuesday to create an election technology commission to study the feasibility and cost of replacing election equipment throughout the state, including machines used by disabled voters and to count votes. “The machines may last another cycle or two, but it’s time to think about their replacements,” Hansen said. “We’re in uncharted waters,” he said. “The purpose of this resolution is to find a solution to the $20 million question: Who is going to purchase new machines?”
Reacting to the proposal, Secretary of State John Gale said he believes there should be a broader study of the future election process in Nebraska in order to mesh future technology with that process.
Some of the voting alternatives to be considered are all mail-in voting and establishment of voting centers, he said.
“We don’t feel like we’re in a crisis or emergency now,” the secretary of state said, “but we do need to look down the road.”
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