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County approves $3,700 election equipment upgrade to maintain compatibility and add security features
Summary
The Board approved an unbudgeted capital purchase, not to exceed $3,700, from Election Systems & Software to upgrade county election devices. Elections official said the upgrade adds security, language support on accessible devices and results reporting modules and is needed for compatibility with the county’s backup (Gila County).
Graham County supervisors approved an unbudgeted capital purchase not to exceed $3,700 to upgrade election equipment from vendor Election Systems & Software (ES&S), elections director Hannah Duderstadt told the board Aug. 4.
Duderstadt said the state has approved the equipment upgrade and described three reasons for the purchase: security enhancements, expanded language support on accessible voting devices that travel to polling centers, and additional reporting modules to help respond to public records requests. She also said the upgrade is part of contingency planning: Graham County must be compatible with its backup county, Gila County, and Gila is performing the same upgrade.
Board members praised Duderstadt and her staff for their work and supported the purchase. The item is a one‑time hardware purchase, the elections director said, not an ongoing software subscription. A supervisor moved, another seconded, and the board approved the expenditure by voice vote.
The upgrade was described as general fund spending. Duderstadt apologized that the need for the upgrade emerged after the county’s budget hearings and therefore was not included in the original budget packet.
The county will proceed to purchase the ES&S upgrade, not to exceed $3,700, consistent with the board’s approval.
