Quorum Court debates transfer of unused voting machines as members push for more West Conway voting access

A proposed transfer of eight surplus ExpressVote voting machines from Faulkner County to Montgomery County drew extended debate at the February Faulkner County Quorum Court meeting, and the transfer failed after the court did not reach the two-thirds vote required by statute.

Marty Gardner, the county's elections director, told the court the machines in question were paid for by the state and that Faulkner County currently retains more than 50 machines, with 37 machines never having been programmed or fielded since they were provided. Gardner said the county typically programs and dispatches a smaller subset of machines to polling centers and keeps 10—14 machines in reserve for backups.

Court members who opposed the transfer said long lines at the McGee Center in West Conway continue to depress participation; several said they want the county and the election commission to pursue an additional voting center on the west side of town rather than send machines to another jurisdiction. Supporters of the transfer noted the county is storage-constrained and that the machines are not currently in use, arguing that another county in need could use them.

Justice Kucchi and other justices urged the election commission to explore potential new voting sites and to report back to the courts and public-safety committee. Election staff and some JPs said site availability has been a recurring challenge: churches that previously hosted polling sites either changed facilities or were no longer available, and suitable west-side locations are limited. Gardner said expanding the McGee Center into adjacent space has infrastructure complications (power/data cabling and lighting) but could be discussed with city officials.

A motion to table the transfer failed on a 5—6 vote; the final roll call on the transfer produced seven yes votes, short of the nine votes (two-thirds of the 13-member court) required by the governing statute for property transfers, so the transfer did not occur.

Ending Court members said they would pursue further conversations with the election commission and local stakeholders about opening an additional West Conway voting center, while others asked staff to consider other logistical fixes to reduce wait times at McGee Center. The failed transfer leaves the county with large, unused inventory of machines for now.