Elk County expands poll‑tablet pilot to November, discusses liquid fuel fund request

Elk County officials said a five‑precinct pilot of electronic sign‑in tablets performed well and the county plans to expand use in the November election, with paper ballots retained as a backup and a target of going fully electronic in 2027.

"We did a pilot program with 5 precincts, and it went very, very well," said Emily Anders, office administrator, summarizing the pilot and noting precinct staff asked not to remove the devices. Anders said the county will use tablets broadly in November and keep paper options during the transition.

A per‑unit figure transcribed during the meeting—about $9,900 each—was mentioned in discussion of costs; meeting remarks about timing included inconsistent references to 2025 and 2026 before the 2027 target was stated. The transcript records the speaker raising the cost figure but does not include additional procurement documentation or a formal contract award in the meeting minutes.

Separately, officials discussed liquid fuel funds the county receives from the Commonwealth to purchase fuel. The meeting record shows a motion was proposed to approve a request by Richard Burrows; the transcript does not include a roll‑call vote or final tally for that motion. One commissioner said the funding will be available for 2026 through roughly the end of September and referenced a 5% figure in that context, but the transcript does not fully explain the 5% reference.

The meeting did not record a completed vote on the motion in the provided transcript excerpt.

Next steps were not specified for procurement or the motion in the transcript; commissioners proceeded to other agenda items.