Elections office seeks $2 million-plus from fund balance for new voting system, requests personnel reorganization and equipment

Kootenai County elections staff presented commissioners with a package of FY26 spending requests on May 30 that included a capital plan to replace the county's aging voting equipment and a modest personnel restructuring.

Asa (elections staff) said growing voter rolls and more complex ballots are stretching current equipment and logistics. He summarized five elements of the requested replacement system and related items: a central count and tabulation system; ballot-on-demand printers; precinct ballot scanners; ADA-compliant ballot-marking devices; and implementation support and supplies. Asa told the board the recommended system is Hart's Verity Vanguard, a system being certified to the Voting System Guidelines version 2 (VVSG 2). "We are at a crossroads right now," Asa said, describing physical limits of…