Louisiana starts process to replace 10,000 voting machines

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s elections will be getting a face-lift over the next few years, with plans underway to replace the state’s decadeold bulky voting machines with sleeker, smaller equipment and beefed-up technology.

The request seeking proposals from contractors for new voting machines went out this week, with bids due May 1. The solicitation went out as Secretary of State Tom Schedler learned Louisiana is getting a nearly $6 million federal grant to cover a portion of the costs.

The state last purchased voting equipment in 2005. This time, Louisiana will be shopping for new equipment as concerns about cybersecurity threats are heightened and hacking worries have consumed election discussions — and as the state is struggling with repeated financial problems.

Schedler said Louisiana’s nearly 10,000 early and Election Day voting machines are antiquated, with spare parts dwindling and no longer manufactured.

“We’ve been very fortunate to date to not have any problems. The problem we anticipate is that as the inventory of spare parts deteriorates, there will be a point in time where we won’t have enough parts to repair the machines,” he said. “The day of reckoning is coming.”

The Secretary of State’s Office is looking for a touch-screen-style system, in line with the pop-up type of machines that Louisiana uses in its early voting, placed on stands or tables. Schedler said they’ll be easier to store and to move than the huge machines Louisiana currently uses on election days.

The machines are expected to provide a voterverified paper receipt for any postelection recounts or audits that might be needed, according to Schedler’s office.

Although Schedler said the request for proposals is wide open, he likely won’t be interested in anything that has a Wi-Fi or other internet connection that he said could make election equipment more vulnerable to hackers. He considers the lack of an internet connection in Louisiana’s current voting machines “one of the strengths of the system.”