Dallas County approves new e‑poll book contract amid cost and certification questions

Dallas County Commissioners Court approved a contract Feb. 11 to purchase electronic poll books and related services from the vendor identified in the meeting record as No, Inc., committing to a two‑year agreement with three one‑year renewal options.

The decision follows several hours of discussion about price differences with the county's incumbent supplier and other bidders, state reimbursement for hardware, training needs, delivery timing and data‑integration approaches. County staff said the final award would require an initial hardware outlay that the state will reimburse in part and that annual maintenance costs under the recommended contract will be higher than the county's current licensing outlay.

County and elections staff told the court the recommended contract would cover 4,500 devices and associated support, with the vendor proposing delivery of most units by mid‑March and some units deferred to October so invoicing would fall in a later fiscal year. Mario Garcia, speaking for elections staff, said the county used 3,152 e‑poll units in the November election and that the vendor's price for those units on the recommended contract was about $4.34 million, a number the county expects to submit for…