The state will reimburse Racine County municipalities about $42,000 for costs related to touch-screen voting machines. The Racine County Board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the reimbursement in its meeting Tuesday. The money will extend maintenance agreements on the machines by three years and four months, County Clerk Wendy Christensen said. The county will apply for the reimbursement and then distribute the money to each of the 17 municipalities, Christensen said.
The money originates from grants the federal government allocated to states as part of the 2002 Help America Vote Act.
Forty-nine touch-screen machines have been in place throughout the county since 2006, Christensen said.
The machines were designed to help people who have difficulty voting, though any voter can use them, she said.