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Winona County approves purchase of new assisted voting devices to replace failing AutoMARK units
Summary
Elections staff told the board AutoMARK assistive voting devices are failing and beyond life cycle; the board approved purchasing ExpressVote machines and discussed trade-ins, state election funding, and city/township participation.
Winona County election officials told the county board they must replace aging AutoMARK assistive-voting devices that are failing in precincts across the county; the board approved purchase of new ExpressVote machines and related equipment.
Elections staff explained the AutoMARK units are over a decade old and increasingly unreliable. "They're the AutoMARKs. We're having problems with them with the elections, and we're required to have an assisted voting device," the elections supervisor said when describing the need to replace units. Staff said each old unit carries a $100 contract/trade-in allowance in the vendor contract and noted a limited-time per-unit discount if ordered this year that would save roughly $23,000 countywide.
The board heard operational questions about whether all jurisdictions should switch at once and how to allocate state election funding and city/township shares. Staff said partial replacements complicate reporting and operations and that larger cities (for example, Winona and St. Charles) strongly prefer poll pads and newer tabulation support for high-turnout precincts. Commissioners discussed public distrust of voting machines and noted that assisted devices are a statutory requirement whether voters use them or not.
Commissioner Meyer moved to approve the purchase; the motion carried. Staff said county election funds and expected state election reimbursements would defray a portion of the cost and that agreements with cities and townships would be finalized as needed.
