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Park County sets polling places, election-judge pay and adopts ES&S tabulators for 2026 elections
Summary
County clerk staff set 2026 polling locations, approved election judge pay rates and the board adopted ES&S DS200/DS450 tabulators for the upcoming election cycle; commissioners discussed local testing, air-gap security, and certification before approving the equipment.
Park County commissioners approved the county’s 2026 polling locations, adopted election‑judge compensation rates and formally accepted the use of ES&S optical tabulators for the primary and general election cycles.
Deputy clerk Katie Johnson presented precinct polling locations across Park County, the courthouse absentee-voting schedule, and the absentee-counting plan. The board approved the polling places and dates and assigned the action Resolution No. 20264. On compensation, commissioners approved the proposed 2026 payment rates: head judges $190 per election, $155 per election for other judges, $10 per hour for absentee/canvas board members, $25 per judge for required training, and mileage at the county rate.
The board then considered election equipment. County staff said the only state‑authorized ballot tabulation system available in Wyoming is the ES&S Election Systems and Software equipment (DS200/DS450) and recommended the board adopt the equipment for use in county polling locations. Commissioners pressed staff on testing procedures and local control of the test deck to allay public concerns about third‑party test data. Staff clarified that ballots and programming are created locally: the county programs ballots on ES&S software in‑house and prints a local “test deck” printed by the clerk’s office for machine testing; the machines are not connected to the internet and are deployed with an air gap.
A motion to adopt the tabulators and record support “in accordance with Wyoming state statute” passed unanimously. Commissioners also discussed certification pathways (federal EAC and state Secretary of State certifications) and noted the state has provided prior purchases to standardize equipment across counties.
What’s next: The clerk’s office will continue to refine local testing procedures and notify the public about air‑gap security and test‑deck practices ahead of the election cycle.
Quotes "We print the test deck locally so it is not coming from Omaha," Katie Johnson said, describing test procedures. "They are statutorily required to have an air gap," a commissioner said, clarifying that tabulators have no network connectivity.
Context: The board emphasized transparency in testing procedures to respond to public questions about tabulator testing and the provenance of test decks. The actions taken were administrative (locations, compensation) and a formal adoption of existing state‑authorized tabulation equipment.
