Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon stopped in Hubbard County last week as he toured the state talking about the need to replace aging election equipment. Simon was seeking $28 million from the Legislature to help counties pay for the project. In May, a bill was signed into law that created a $7 million grant fund to help replace the aging equipment by 2020. The fund provides up to a 50 percent match between the state and counties for mandatory equipment and up to a 75 percent match for electronic poll books. Grant applications are expected to be made available in September, with an expected submission deadline in mid-December, according to Secretary of State’s office.
Simon met with Hubbard County Auditor Kay Rave and staff to discuss the grant and how the 2016 presidential election went in Hubbard County.
“It’s one that probably put a lot of stress on the system because of the very high turnout,” Simon said. “Minnesota broke a record in terms of number of voters. We got back to #1 in voter turnout nationally, which was our big goal. We got there, and here in Hubbard County the numbers were very high. That’s great.”
Full Article: State to provide funds to counties for election equipment | Park Rapids Enterprise.