Board of Elections approves new early voting equipment

Press release from Buncombe County:

At its Jan. 24 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Elections approved ExpressVote for Early Voting. Used by 11 other N.C. counties, ExpressVote provides touchscreen ballot marking for voters to make their selections. Once confirmed, the ballot prints, giving voters one more opportunity to review prior to submitting. Buncombe County currently uses ExpressVote for early voters who request ADA access to voting.

With the vote approved, the Board of Elections is requesting 140 ExpressVote machines to allow 10 machines at each of the 14 Early Voting sites at a cost of $604,225 plus shipping. The estimated system lifespan of each machine is 15 years with an estimated $21,000 added to the required maintenance agreement ($150 per machine) in the future but not the first year. This request will become part of Election Services’ fiscal year 2024 budget request and must be approved and adopted by the Board of Commissioners prior to implementation.

Voter experience

Chair of the Board of Elections Jake Quinn notes ExpressVote is not a new mechanism, it is an expansion of a system we are already using. With the new machines voters will check-in with poll workers, give their name, and receive their ExpressVote ballot: a thin piece of paper with important precinct and vote information printed at the top. Voters will carry their ballot to voting booths and insert the paper into the ExpressVote machines. Selections are made on the touchscreen. Before printing their completed ballot, voters are prompted to review their selections and return to any race and make changes. The ExpressVote machine then prints selections on a paper ballot that can be reconfirmed by the voter. As with the previous voting process, voters will take their paper ballot to the DS200 tabulator machines, insert them, and receive their election sticker.

Election Services Director Corinne Duncan noted a change of this magnitude could be challenging to familiarize voters with the ExpressVote method and if approved by the Board of Commissioners, would continue partnering with the County Communications & Public Engagement team with a goal of a pilot in the Fall of 2023 and a full implementation in the 2024 Presidential Primary.

Next Steps

The approved request will go to FY24 budget consideration with the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

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3 thoughts on “Board of Elections approves new early voting equipment

  1. Carole Schaefer

    When will we stop talking about failed policies and actually do something innovative to really help those neighbors sleeping on the streets? The Citys solution of camp sweeps is inhumane at best. Where are they supposed to go? We do not have enough existing shelters. Why not at least create short term solutions while permanent housing is being built? Sanctuary camping on vacant city property, with city provided support, trash cans, porta potties and wash stations could help. It would be a better use of the $77k they spent on the report.

  2. Kathy Maney

    Computer voting machines do not follow US or North Carolina election laws which
    clearly state that voters have the right to verify that their votes are properly being
    represented when entered into the tabulation computer. We are told by election
    officials to check the names on the ballot summary card before we cast it into the
    tabulator, but the tabulator does not read the printed names on the ballot summary
    card – it only reads the barcodes.
    Voters do not read barcode, so they cannot verify that their vote was properly
    recorded.

  3. Kathy Maney

    Voters mark their ballots using ExpressVote, which prints a ballot summary card that includes a bar code at the top.

    The summary card is fed into the DS200, which tabulates the votes by reading the bar code.

    Because voters cannot read a bar code, the state law requiring that the voter be able to verify their vote is not met.

    Computer voting machines do not follow US or North Carolina election laws which clearly state that voters have the right to verify that their votes are properly being represented when entered into the tabulation computer.

    We are told by election officials to check the names on the ballot summary card before we cast it into the tabulator, but the tabulator does not read the printed names on the ballot summary card – it only reads the barcodes.

    Voters do not read barcode, so they cannot verify that their vote was properly recorded.

    Court Votes to Remove Voting Machines from Election, Turns to Paper Ballots and Hand Counting Only https://www.westernjournal.com/court-votes-remove-voting-machines-election-turns-paper-ballots-hand-counting/

    CLEBURNE COUNTY, Ark. – A Cleburne County quorum court voted to remove voting machines from elections, making it a “paper ballot” county. https://www.kark.com/news/your-local-election-hq/cleburne-county-court-rejects-voting-machines-in-elections-turns-to-paper-ballots/

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