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LCC approves replacement of House chamber voting consoles and cabling; project cost just under $500,000
Summary
The Legislative Coordinating Council approved replacement of member voting consoles, control equipment and cabling in the House chamber; work is expected to begin in August and last 9–11 weeks with a projected cost just under $500,000.
The Legislative Coordinating Council approved on July 1 a replacement of the House chamber’s member voting consoles, control equipment and associated cabling, citing equipment age and recent failures.
Tom, legislative IT staff, told the council the current member desk voting consoles and control equipment were installed in February 2008 and while the software and display boards have been upgraded, the consoles, cabling and control equipment remain original. “There have been several issues and failures that indicate the equipment has become outdated and should be replaced to ensure the reliability and stability of the system,” Tom said.
According to the memo presented to the council, International Roll Call will replace voting system control equipment and member voting consoles; the consoles will add a headphone jack and volume control and be customized to fit existing enclosures. Cabling will be removed and replaced using existing conduits beneath the House chamber floor; Bridle Smith (contractor for cabling) is the same firm that handled the 2008 installation. The total projected cost is just under $500,000, split roughly half for new consoles/control equipment and half for cabling work.
Representative Croft asked whether the project includes accessibility accommodations for members with vision issues; Tom said the scope does not include changing the large public voting board but staff will work with the vendor to explore options. Representative Woodard suggested exploring on-device or streaming access to the voting board for members’ devices, and Tom said legal and rules issues would need review before broader camera or display changes.
Speaker Hawkins moved to approve replacing the House chamber’s voting control equipment, member consoles and running new cables to each desk; the motion, seconded by Majority Leader Croft, carried on a voice vote. If authorized, the project is anticipated to begin in August and last 9–11 weeks, followed by final testing.
