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Secretary of the State seeks IT upgrades, eRegs and ADA‑compliant website funding; new tabulators rolling out to towns
Summary
The Secretary of the State asked the General Obligation Bonding Subcommittee for funds to upgrade the eRegs system and make the website ADA‑compliant, and reported that new election tabulators are being deployed statewide after successful pilots.
The Secretary of the State asked the General Obligation Bonding Subcommittee for bond authorizations to modernize core information technology systems and to ensure web accessibility.
The secretary outlined a request primarily to implement IT changes totaling just over $5 million, including a multi‑million dollar upgrade to the state eRegs system (the official repository used by state agencies for regulation drafting and public comment), $1,000,000 for a website modernization to meet Americans with Disabilities Act compliance by 2026, recurring smaller IT upgrades and a $20,000 furniture replacement estimate for the secretary’s office.
Nut graf: The office also reported the successful procurement and staged deployment of new voting tabulators: nine municipalities piloted the machines in November 2024 and the secretary said shipment is underway with delivery to all towns expected by June and broader use in the November election.
Why the eRegs and website are needed
The secretary told the committee two major software components that support eRegs have been discontinued: an IBM case manager product discontinued in 2023, and a formatting tool that will no longer be supported next year after an acquisition. The office said those tools are essential to drafting, review and public comment workflows for regulations and must be replaced or reimplemented.
On the website request, the secretary said the current site dates from around 2012 and must be made ADA‑compliant by the DOJ’s 2026 deadline. The secretary described the current workload as one IT staff person who functions as webmaster and handles graphic design, and said the agency needs funding to modernize the site and meet compliance requirements.
Tabulator rollout
The secretary updated the committee on new tabulators procured after a rapid RFP and vendor selection. A nine‑town pilot in November 2024 “went extremely well,” she said, and additional units have been shipping since January. The office expects delivery of tabulators statewide by June and use in the November election cycle.
Ending: Committee members praised the tabulator rollout and asked why the secretary’s IT requests were not included in the governor’s IT packages; the secretary said she was not aware of an explanation and said she would follow up with OPM and the IT capital fund process.
