New Voting Machines Under Review
Posted/updated on: May 10, 2018 at 7:46 pm
TYLER – Smith County residents are being invited to look over new voting machines the county is considering buying. The county has looked at two businesses who carry state- and federal-certified voting machines. The court is considering remaining with its current vendor, ES&S, and purchasing the new ExpressVote machines. The County says ExpressVote was less expensive and offered more features that will streamline what polling workers have to do on election day, which they say will make the process more efficient. All of the machines will be ADA compliant, have battery backups, a voter-verifiable paper trail, and a voter activation card with a barcode, eliminating human error when selecting which precinct a voter is casting their ballot.
The 350 voting machines will cost the county $1.3 million. The company will buy back the old, outdated machines for $339,000.
The new, state-of-the-art voting machines are on display for Smith County voters during normal business hours through Friday, May 18. The elections office at 302 East Ferguson is open from 8:00am to noon and 1:00 to 5:00pm Monday through Friday.
