City clerk says voting machines follow 10‑year lifecycle; city currently lacks space to administer absentee voting

City Clerk Claudia Edisfold briefed the council on election logistics, equipment lifecycle and precinct planning.

Edisfold said the city relies on county and state certification when the DS200 voting machines are replaced and that voting equipment is generally replaced on a 10‑year cycle. She explained that replacement timing and vendor selection are typically coordinated by the county and the state’s certification process, and that Victoria participates in the county selection rather than selecting independently.

On absentee voting, Edisfold told council that the city currently does not administer absentee ballots: "The city of Victoria, we currently do not do absentee voting. That is administered by the county." She said running absentee voting locally would require a large, secure space, nightly equipment security, additional trained staff and an absentee‑ballot board — resources the city does not have at present. Council members asked whether other Carver County cities run absentee voting locally; the clerk said one or two cities (Waconia was mentioned) may administer absentee on their own.

Edisfold also raised precinct planning: she said precincts 4 and 5 are combined to save costs and that precinct 5 has seen a large increase in registered voters (reported growth from 137 to 417 registered voters in 2024). She suggested the city will likely need another precinct in the south growth area by the next presidential election cycle.

What happens next: the clerk noted the DS200 machines will receive system updates ahead of the 2026 election and that long‑range facility or staffing changes would be needed for the city to assume absentee‑voting responsibilities. Council discussed how growth patterns and absentee trends should inform precinct planning.

Attribution: statements and figures above are attributable to City Clerk Claudia Edisfold as recorded in the workshop transcript.