Public commenter urges Henrico supervisors to reject $600,000 registrar request and consider hand-count alternative

Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Clark told the Henrico County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 24 that the county should not approve a $600,000 request from the registrar’s office for new electronic voting equipment and supporting contracts for FY2027.

Clark, who identified himself as a resident and veteran, said the county previously spent $1.1 million on the same systems in 2025 and proposed an alternative he said would cost "about $46,500" total for 93 precincts (roughly $500 per precinct) to perform a hand count of paper ballots with video documentation. "If you add up $1,100,000 for 2025, $600,000 for next year, we're averaging about half $1,000,000 in expenses on these elections every year, which is unnecessary," he said.

Clark also cited the Virginia Constitution in arguing counties are permitted to use paper ballots and hand counting, and said he had provided the board with emails and documentation from outside registrars as supporting material. He asked the board to explain, if it kept the request, why hand counting would not save the county the projected amount. The transcript shows no on-the-record response from the registrar or the board during the meeting.

Jennifer Lieberman also spoke during the public-comment period on separate matters, urging support for organized labor and noting economic challenges for retail and restaurant workers and people with disabilities; her remarks were not addressed with specific board action.

What happened next: Clark said he would request a follow-up meeting with the county manager and his district representative to discuss the matter further. The board took no votes related to the registrar request during the meeting.