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St. Clair County OKs $1.4 Million Plan To Replace Decades-Old Ballot Machines

 St. Clair County Clerk Tom Holbrook talks about the aging voting and optical scan machines used in St. Clair County elections on Feb. 27, 2020. The county board approved a $1.4 million plan to replace voting equipment in the county.
Derik Holtmann
/
Belleville News-Democrat
St. Clair County Clerk Tom Holbrook talks about the aging voting and optical scan machines used in St. Clair County elections on Feb. 27, 2020. The county board approved a $1.4 million plan to replace voting equipment in the county.

Kavahn Mansouri is a reporter and editor with the , a news partner of 漏 2024 外网天堂.

Editor鈥檚 note: This story was originally published by the , a news partner of 漏 2024 外网天堂.

Decades-old voting equipment will be replaced in St. Clair County with the county board鈥檚 approval of $1.4 million worth of Monday night.

The voted unanimously Monday to purchase the machines, which said is necessary ahead of upcoming elections. Holbrook called the county鈥檚 current equipment supply, some of which dates back to the 1970s, 鈥渦nsupported and outdated.鈥

鈥淲e have some of the oldest technology in the state and a lot of it is not being supported anymore,鈥 Holbrook said. 鈥淭his will update us to literally state-of-the-art equipment.鈥

Holbrook said voters can expect a voting experience similar to what they鈥檙e accustomed to even with the new machines. Paper ballots will still be available and touchscreen machines will be added at many locations, but voters will always be able to choose whichever machine they鈥檇 like.

He said the process should be 鈥渟moother鈥 for all involved.

The total cost of the entire package from a Nebraskan company and the sole bidder, is $1,430,455. The county will receive 140 new paper ballot machines and 181 new ExpressVote touch screen voting terminals, which will be spread throughout 191 precincts.

The bid was roughly $1 million less than what the county had budgeted out for the process, Holbrook noted.

The new machines will make life easier for election judges and the clerk鈥檚 office, Holbrook said, adding that there will be extra training for election judges ahead of the Nov. 8, 2022 election.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge investment but we have to keep up with this,鈥 he said. 鈥淭o the best of my knowledge, there are only about four other counties (in Illinois) that still use this and they鈥檙e all looking at doing away with it as well.鈥

The county board also approved the purchase of training, installation, voting kiosks as part of the package.

Kavahn Mansouri covers government accountability for the Belleville News-Democrat, a news partner of 漏 2024 外网天堂.