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Rundle Select Board raises alarm about aging state voting machines after on-site failure
Summary
Board members described a recent on-site failure of a state-supplied voting machine and discussed asking the Secretary of State or the incoming legislature for funding to replace outdated equipment, but concluded replacements are unlikely before November.
At the June 22 meeting the Rundle Select Board discussed recurring reliability problems with state-owned voting machines and whether the town should formally request state action to replace aging equipment.
Board members described a recent incident in which a machine failed during an election night and required a service call; technicians replaced an internal component so ballots could be processed. Members repeatedly noted the machines are old — with the newest estimated at about 20 years — and questioned whether the Secretary of State has prioritized replacement. Several members suggested the select board could send a request to the Secretary of State’s office or raise the issue with legislative candidates, but observed that state funding decisions and the legislative calendar make it unlikely the town would get new machines before November.
No formal motion to petition the state was recorded in the transcript; board members agreed to communicate concerns to local representatives and candidates and to follow up after the November election cycle.
What happens next: board members plan to raise the issue with state officials and with candidates running for the legislature; replacement timing depends on state-level funding decisions.
