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Clerk: 13 of 21 towns use QR‑based ICX machines; vendor to swap tabulators as decertification looms
Summary
The county clerk told the committee that Wisconsin Election Commission action could require decertifying QR‑based ICX voting machines; the county’s vendor has offered to swap them for paper‑ballot tabulators at little cost if all towns agree.
The Sawyer County clerk told the administrative committee that 13 of 21 towns use ICX touch‑screen voting machines that rely on QR codes, and said the Wisconsin Elections Commission may decertify that model in the next year or two.
The clerk said Command Central, the company that sold the county’s ICX machines, has offered a one‑time free swap to a paper‑ballot tabulator; the clerk described the tabulator’s retail value as about $9,000 compared with $3,900 for the ICX. The swap would require participation by all towns that currently use the ICX machines, the clerk said.
The clerk described options for very small towns: they could still hand‑count paper ballots instead of using a tabulator. The committee did not take formal action; members discussed the operational implications and the need to coordinate with towns so all can accept a replacement tabulator if the swap proceeds.
The clerk also said the Wisconsin County Clerks Association is opposing a legislative proposal that would require town clerks to keep municipal offices open for 20 hours during the early‑voting/absentee period; the clerk warned such a requirement would be difficult where town clerks are part‑time.
No vote was taken; the clerk said she has been working with the vendor on the swap and emphasized the need to inform towns about the change and reach agreement for replacement equipment.
