Lyon County elections office says VVPAT printers must be replaced; estimates $100k–$150k for upgrade

Lyon County Treasurer and elections official presented the county’s options for replacing the paper vote-record printers (VVPAT) used with Dominion ballot-marking devices and outlined costs, operational trade-offs and outstanding reimbursement questions from state and federal authorities.

County elections staff said the current setup uses an ImageCast X ballot-marking device (ICX) with a separate infrared VVPAT roll that prints a voter-verified paper record. The Secretary of State has advised counties that the VVPAT format is obsolete for the 2026 election cycle because it embeds a barcode that the state says cannot remain on the paper record. Dominion, the county’s vendor, will not remove the barcode, the county said.

The county’s options include: (1) replace only the VVPAT roll printers with a durable commercial printer (lower cost); (2) replace machines with a full new ballot-marking and tabulation suite, including on-site tabulators (higher cost); or (3) convert to all-paper, hand-marked ballots in some locations (policy choice). Clerk/Treasurer Shacey Lundberg told commissioners she prefers a hybrid approach: upgrade the printing device while retaining the established ICX ballot-marking devices and replace on-site tabulators with sealed ballot boxes that county staff would collect and tabulate using existing commercial tabulators in the office.

Key points officials raised:

- Cost estimates: a limited upgrade of equipment to comply with Secretary of State guidance was estimated by county staff at about $107,000 (county estimate); a full replacement could approach $150,000 or more depending on options. The county has already completed a mandatory software upgrade and smart-card replacement for 2026 at a reimbursable cost of about $9,267, with reimbursement pending from the state. The elections office emphasized uncertainty about who will ultimately pay for mandatory equipment changes — the county, the state, or federal grant funds — and reported mixed communications from state and federal channels.

- Security and operations: Lundberg warned that mobile on-site tabulators (ICP devices) create operational and security trade-offs: a small number of on-site tabulators could cause long lines or single-point failures on busy election days, and the county would have to manage the physical handling and temporary storage of tabulator output. She recommended sealed ballot boxes exchanged during the day and returned to one secure location for counting with the county’s commercial tabulators to preserve chain-of-custody and minimize on-site equipment risk.

- Reimbursement and timeline: the county was told some counties that paid before a late June cutoff may receive some state subsidy; the county did not meet that date and staff reported the state has not yet committed to broad reimbursement. A federal executive order and subsequent state guidance were cited as the drivers for the change; staff said Dominion will not remove barcodes from the VVPAT record.

Commissioners asked about turnout and the proportion of voters using mail and in-person ballot-marking devices: staff said the county’s 2024 general election had 33,617 cast ballots, with about 51% paper/mail and 49% in-person. Commissioners and staff discussed whether to move fully to paper ballots, whether the county could seek federal assistance, and the trade-offs between equipment durability, worker training and voter experience.

No formal funding decision was made at the meeting. The clerk will return with a formal funding request if staff pursue contingency funds; commissioners asked to be kept informed and for a clearer plan of options and costs.