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Fallon County residents press commissioners to keep hand counting; no motion to buy electronic tabulators
Summary
More than 100 county residents urged Fallon County commissioners to reject a plan to buy electronic tabulators, offering a 113‑person volunteer pool to continue hand counts; commissioners heard concerns about long‑term costs, vendor dependence and audit access and did not move to purchase tabulators.
A large group of Fallon County residents urged commissioners on Tuesday to reject purchasing electronic ballot tabulators and to continue relying on hand counting, presenting a list of volunteers willing to staff counting operations.
At the meeting a citizen reading an organized statement on behalf of local volunteers said the county’s current hand-count method is “accurate, transparent, and trusted” and argued that accepting grants or new machines would shift long-term costs and control off the county. "When the county accepts and uses the grant funds from HAVA of $14,000 to purchase approximately $35,000 worth of election equipment," the speaker said, "that's still $35,000 of our tax dollars that could otherwise stay local." The volunteer group said it would run mock counts and train before April to ensure a ready pool of counters.
Supporters of keeping hand counts told commissioners that tabulators are not a one-time expense: they highlighted recurring software updates, certification and maintenance contracts, and potential vendor dependence. One attendee cited recent reporting and public documents alleging federal indictments involving overseas vendors and questioned whether similar software components are present in local ES&S machines.
County staff acknowledged the concerns and noted that existing audit tools (including cast‑vote records and audit ballots) are intended to support forensic checks, while also saying that some records remain subject to state rules. Commissioners thanked the volunteers and discussed the level of community engagement and training that sustained hand counts require. No commissioner made a motion to purchase electronic tabulators during the public meeting; the record shows discussion but no formal purchase motion was introduced or voted on.
What happens next: commissioners did not adopt any purchase resolution at the meeting. Staff and the volunteer group indicated plans to coordinate training and sign‑up logistics ahead of the next election cycle.
