CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The next time Harrison County voters head to the polls, they may encounter a new method of casting their ballots.
Commissioners on Thursday approved funding to purchase 70 Express Vote machines –just over one for every voting precinct in the county– to phase in with the current iVotronic system that has been in place since 2006.
“I’m excited,” said Harrison County Clerk Susan Thomas. “The iVo’s, I never was a fan of those. [The EV’s] doesn’t record anything and they don’t record anything. So, it’s basically a ballot-marking device.
The total cost of the machines is $219,325 after trade in on old equipment that will be acquired through an interest-free loan on a five year period.
One of the benefits of the new machines is that it will cut down the time it takes for poll workers to tally the votes, as it will eliminate almost all mistakes that could be made through traditional methods.
“If they vote for too many, it won’t let you do that. It will only let you vote who you vote for,” Thomas said. “A lot of times on the optical scan ballot they just put an x in the oval, the scanner will spit that out and we have to look at that, we have to send it to a resolution team. [New machines] will take place of this.”
The machines will not store the votes, but are designed only to fill in certain spaces upon command.
Representatives from the company contracted to provide the machine, Election Systems and Software, also promoted to commissioners Thursday how they save taxpayers money by utilizing cardstock that can be reused in different election cycles.
Harrison County will be able to cut waste that comes with elections for governments across the country, Thomas said.
“Right now we have to print an astronomical amount of ballots and we throw away a lot of ballots. The cardstock would last for years.”
The first opportunity voters will have to get a feel for the new machines will come alongside the current method in December when the school excess levy is put on the ballot.
County officials are hoping that those who use the machines will provide feedback on their experience, because though the goal currently is to expand the use of the new machines countywide, the top priority is the voters feeling comfortable.
“We are just going to phase it in,” Thomas said. “The important things is the voters. If they like it, I’m all for it.”
If the county finds that voters provide enough positive feedback to warrant, they will adjust the contract with ES&S to acquire enough machines to handle all voters.