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Elections office braces for compressed special election and upgrades to aging equipment
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Summary
County clerk reported a consolidated special election for a vacancy on the June ballot with tight printing and certification timelines and discussed remaining state/federal funds for elections equipment; clerk recommended using existing grant funds to replace aging voting machines where possible.
The County Clerk reported a busy election calendar and ongoing efforts to modernize aging voting equipment.
The clerk said a special election to fill the Douglas seat has been consolidated onto the June ballot and carries a compressed timeline for printing and certification: ballots must go out Saturday and the county has limited time for candidate certification and ballot production. "We have the special election to fill the Douglas race. It has been consolidated onto the June ballot," the clerk said, noting quick turnarounds and the risk of needing an August runoff if no candidate receives a majority.
The clerk also summarized remaining state/federal funds for counties with fewer than 50 precincts to replace decertified equipment and said some legacy voting machines are at the end of their lifespan; the clerk intends to use available grant funds where possible but said advanced touch‑screen models may not be fully covered by current allocations.
Finally, the clerk outlined operational constraints for a potential office move after the June election and warned of short canvass and certification windows associated with the special election. The board approved a Secretary of State agreement (approx. $34,923.63) to provide flexibility in funding election costs.