Officials eye new voting machines

BENTONVILLE — Benton County’s justices of the peace agreed Thursday they want more information before committing to buying new election equipment this year.

The Finance Committee heard an update on the need for new voting equipment from John Brown Jr. a member of the Election Commission, Kim Dennison, Benton County election coordinator and Jennifer Price, election coordinator for Washington County. Price demonstrated the new voting equipment the state has approved. Washington County obtained the equipment last year in time to use it for the November general election.

Dennison told the committee the equipment she projects the county will need carries a price tag of about $2.6 million. She said the state may have up to $5 million available through the governor’s office to help counties buy equipment on a matching basis, with the money being awarded on

a “first-come, first-served” basis. Dennison said Faulkner and Miller counties have already approved asking for matching money.

State. Rep. Dan Douglas said another $1 million may be available from the Secretary of State’s office but the money is not certain, since state revenue is down.

“The availability of the $5 million isn’t a sure thing,” Douglas said.

Dennison told the justices of the peace she has approached Election Systems and Software, the company making the election equipment, about getting the equipment under a lease-purchase plan, allowing to county to pay for the equipment over three, four or five years. She said she expects to have information on that next week and the committee voted to send the issue on to the Committee of the Whole for more discussion at its meeting Tuesday.

Dennison said the county has 489 of the older voting machines being replaced. She said 13 failed during the general election and three have failed during the current early voting period for the May 9 special school elections in Bentonville, Rogers and Pea Ridge.

Dennison said recent legislation consolidating school elections into the same dates as primary and general elections complicates the problems the county faces. Having the school elections on those dates means the county would have up to 1,100 different ballots and the old machines may not have the memory to handle that many. She said the county might have to eliminate early voting sites and go back to paper ballots if the older machines can’t handle the increased number of ballots

Also Thursday, officials said the recent flooding caused at least $800,000 in damage to county roads and another $600,000 to bridges.

Roberts McGowen, emergency services administrator, said the threshold for the county to qualify for disaster assistance is $ 800,000, including damages in cities as well as unincorporated areas of the county. To qualify for federal disaster assistance, damage statewide has to exceed $4.2 million.

“I have no doubt we will reach that threshold,” McGowen said.

Jay Frasier, public services administrator and head of the Road Department, said most of the roads closed during the flooding have been opened. Frasier said Dawson Lane, Van Hollow Road, and Kane Road had more serious damage and will be closed for an extended period. Frasier also said three bridges — Snavely Bridge, Stage Coach Bridge, and Old Wire Bridge over Sugar Creek will also be closed for extended periods.