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Elections office requests generator and reports surge in early voting; grant funded ballot-on-demand approved
Summary
The county elections office flagged the need for a standby generator after multiple power outages affected early-voting operations, said early voting remains in place and reported 10,305 early voters; the office also received a state grant for on-demand ballot printing to lower ballot costs.
Warren County’s elections official told the board the office is seeking backup power for its elections complex after repeated outages affected early-voting operations and testing.
The registrar said the county experienced at least seven documented outages last year at the complex and that one outage occurred during early voting, delaying operations and pre-election equipment testing. The official said a generator for the elections complex would cost roughly $75,000 based on initial quotes and that IT staff warned that related systems in the main building may also need standby power because of interconnections.
The elections official also reported early voting turnout: 10,305 voters used early in-person voting during the most recent cycle, the highest number the office has recorded. The official noted that bills to shorten early-voting windows have been proposed in the General Assembly but so far have not passed; many peer localities favor a 21–30 day early-voting period, the official said.
Separately, the office received a state grant to pilot on-demand ballot printing during early voting; the grant (just over $10,000) will allow staff to print ballots on site after voter check-in, which the registrar said should lower ballot-handling costs and improve operational efficiency during early voting.
No formal appropriation on the generator was recorded in the transcript; the registrar said the deadline for placing a referendum on the November ballot is Aug. 15.
