Centre County approves purchase of 211 electronic poll books for upcoming elections

The Centre County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with No, Inc. LLC to purchase 211 electronic poll books and licensing to streamline voter check-in at polling places.

Melanie, the county elections official, told commissioners the system replaces paper ‘poll books’ with tablets that allow poll workers to look up voters by the first three letters of a last and first name, produce a time-stamped ticket for each voter and print precinct directions if a voter is at the wrong location. “Instead of flipping through the book to find your name alphabetically, all they would have to do is type the first 3 letters of your last name and first 3 letters of your first name and you'll pop right up,” Melanie said.

The full contract price is $465,815. The county’s share for the spring purchase is $126,420.46 after using leftover election-integrity grant funds, and the county anticipates $219,500 in state support for the fall purchase pending approval of a separate election integrity grant. Melanie said the county previously trialed poll pads at large precincts and that poll workers and voters responded positively.

Commissioners asked about provisional ballots and training. Melanie said the poll pads can route provisional voters to a specific workflow, capture a timestamped record of each check-in and generate a paper ticket that functions as a receipt to obtain a ballot. She said training sessions will include hands-on practice and that she will provide one-on-one help for workers who need it. Half of the devices will be purchased before the spring primary; the remaining units are scheduled for the fall.

The board approved the contract by motion and voice vote.