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Porter County election staff report flood damage to voting machines; insurance and vendor reports pending
Summary
Staff told the Porter County Election Board that floodwater damaged ballots and dozens of voting machines; they reported 303 ExpressVote units with about 203 damaged and said ES&S and an insurance adjuster are reviewing replacement options. The board continued the item to its next meeting.
Porter County election office staff reported significant flood-related damage to voting equipment and said vendor and insurance reviews are pending.
During the meeting (date not specified), staff said the county had 303 ExpressVote units and that “203 of them are bad,” while about 100 remained functional. Staff also said some ballot-marking and other voting machines show rust and debris and that two ballot-printing machines were found nonfunctional.
A staff member told the board the equipment assessment and serial-number inventory are with the vendor, Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and with the insurance adjuster. “ES&S is assuring us that they can replace whatever we need,” the staff member said, and the staff member added the vendor reported inventory and functionality details would be available in a written report.
Board members discussed whether the county’s insurance would cover replacement value or prorated amounts; staff said the adjuster review will determine coverage. Staff also noted the county’s reporting computer was not damaged but several other machines suffered water-related harm.
Because the assessment and adjuster report were incomplete, a board member moved to continue the flood-damage update as an ongoing agenda item until the adjuster and vendor reports are returned. The motion carried by voice vote.
In public comment, a voter, Jennifer Klug of Town Quarter, asked whether the county should wait to replace machines until after a presidential executive order on elections was resolved. Staff replied that the vendor could accommodate changes arising from federal direction if necessary.
Board members said the damage assessment and replacement logistics will remain on future agendas while staff obtains the ES&S and insurance determinations.
