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Secretary of State asks for carryforward and poll-pad replacement funding in HB1002 hearing
Summary
Secretary of State Michael Howe told the Appropriations — Education & Environment section that his office needs carryforward authority for election and business-portal technology and a $2.8 million replacement of poll pads and cradle points, and said two FTEs could be returned amid uncertainty about future federal HAVA funding.
Michael Howe, North Dakota secretary of state, testified in the Appropriations — Education & Environment hearing on House Bill 1002 requesting carryforward authority and new one-time funding for election technology and business-portal upgrades.
Why it matters: The office’s requests include funds for an election management system, upgrades to the business filing portal (First Stop), and a $2.8 million replacement of voter check-in iPads (“poll pads”) and cradle points that the office says are no longer able to run current iOS security updates. Howe also warned that federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant funding supporting some election staff and technology could run out by 2028, which he said creates a need to consider state general-fund support for some election positions and ongoing maintenance.
Howe opened his testimony by describing the office as “the starting point we'd like to say for democracy and…
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