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Dickinson County clerk presents plans to buy electronic poll pads and two DS200 tabulators
Summary
County Clerk Jennifer Gayson asked commissioners to add and consider purchase of electronic poll‑pads (estimated $50,539.80 over three years) and two DS200 tabulators ($12,950) to speed check‑ins, improve ballot accuracy and reduce manual counting; purchases had not yet been approved at the meeting.
County Clerk Jennifer Gayson asked the Dickinson County Commission to consider two election equipment purchases aimed at speeding voter check‑ins and reducing manual processing: electronic poll pads for voter check‑in and two DS200 optical tabulators for precinct tabulation.
Gayson told commissioners the county already uses DS200 equipment in three locations and proposes buying two additional DS200 units to serve Solon and Talmadge precincts, where she said the two polling locations account for 1,386 and 992 registered voters respectively. She said the DS200s “can speedily tabulate votes, eliminating manual counting processes” and provide on‑the‑spot feedback to voters on overvotes so voters can correct ballots before submission. Gayson gave a purchase price of $12,950 for the two DS200 machines and said annual post‑warranty maintenance would be $6.40 per unit as quoted.
On poll pads, Gayson presented quotes totaling $50,539.80 structured as a three‑year payment plan with no interest: $20,736.60 in year one and $14,626.66 in each of years two and three. She said the devices reduce check‑in time (she cited an average 45 seconds per voter) and cut staff needs at polling places. Gayson estimated staff reductions in Abilene from 22 to about 10 workers for a single election and calculated sample savings across multiple elections depending on the cycle.
Gayson requested the purchases be added to a future action agenda. Commissioners discussed funding sources and noted an equipment‑reserve fund is available; County Administrator Janelle Dodson said election equipment could be paid from the county equipment reserve. Dodson said the county currently has roughly $2,085,000 in an equipment reserve fund and that the servers bid discussed earlier came in below estimate. No formal county purchase votes were recorded during the meeting; commissioners indicated the items would be scheduled for a future action item so the board can record a formal motion and vote.
“I am proposing the purchase of 2 additional DS200 machines for our election office,” Gayson said. “Implementing the DS200 machines will streamline the voting process in these areas… The machines are invaluable for their speed and efficiency.”
Gayson and commissioners also discussed poll‑book software and implementation plans, including a trial during the next scheduled election. The clerk said most Kansas counties (she cited 85%) already use electronic poll pads, and she plans staff training and field testing before full deployment.
