Faulkner County to transfer surplus voting machines to Montgomery County; space limits drive election-day lines

Faulkner County elections staff told the court they received voting machines from the Arkansas Secretary of State and plan to transfer eight surplus machines to Montgomery County to meet an emergency need.

An elections official identified in the meeting as Miss Henry said the machines were supplied by the state office and are county-held equipment, not purchased by Faulkner County. The office will transfer eight machines to Montgomery County and reported it has an additional 15 machines available for transfer if other counties require them.

Court members discussed long lines at the McGee Center on voting days and asked whether the number of machines limited voter throughput. An elections official said the principal constraint at the McGee Center is physical spacing: state statute requires voting machines be placed six feet apart, which limits how many units can fit in the available room. "The problem with the McGee Center is not that we don't have enough machines," the official said; "we just don't have enough room."

Officials said they have received more poll-worker volunteers this cycle and that opening an additional vote center in West Conway is being discussed as one option to reduce lines. The court also noted that the elections storage room remodel included security upgrades such as cameras and a higher-security door to protect machines while in county custody.

No formal court vote on the transfers was recorded in the transcript; staff said they would proceed with the transfers and continue working with the election commission on poll locations and staffing.