Madison County election office receives new voting equipment; absentee voting and training plans discussed

Madison County election staff told commissioners on Monday that new voting equipment has arrived and that the office is preparing for absentee voting and poll-worker training ahead of special elections this fall.

County clerk Ray reported the new DS300 machines were scheduled to arrive around 10 a.m. the day of the meeting and that inventory staff would remove the older DS200 units from the county inventory and accept the new machines into service. Ray said the old equipment will be traded in or disposed of per procurement procedures.

Ray also told the commission that absentee voting will begin “on the twentieth,” and later in the meeting staff and the county attorney reiterated that absentee ballots are available ahead of the November special elections. The meeting record did not include a month attached to the clerk’s “twentieth” remark; commissioners discussed timing in the context of the Sept. 8 meeting.

Commissioners discussed poll-worker training and demonstrations. Commissioners asked for DS300 demonstrations and updated training materials; staff said a new training video would be produced and that calibration and tablet availability for training would be confirmed. The commission also discussed logistics for express poll books that require recalibration.

County attorney Mr. Spence reported the Board of Supervisors had been asked to dispense with one uncontested constable election (Justin Lancaster) per statute; supervisors took that action at their meeting, and staff said absentee ballot processing and other fall election preparations are continuing. The attorney also reported the Supreme Court had denied rehearing in an earlier appeal related to a contested commission race, concluding that litigation was no longer pending.