Selectmen accept $4,500 voting-machine grant and approve sale of old Accuvote

The Springfield Board of Selectmen on Nov. 12 unanimously accepted a $4,500 grant to cover the town’s share of a new VotingWorks machine, after the state agreed to pay $3,500 directly to the vendor. The Board also approved offering the town’s retired Accuvote machine for sale, setting a proposed price of $500.

Whit Smith and Annika Munholand briefed the Board on the equipment and the grant terms. Smith said the new VotingWorks device will be purchased at no expense to the town because the state is covering part of the cost and the grant covers the remainder. Poul Heilmann moved to accept the grant; Amy Lewis seconded the motion, and all three selectmen voted in favor.

Smith told the Board he had posted on the town Listserve that Springfield’s Accuvote machine was available; New Ipswich expressed interest through the Listserve. The Board approved a motion to offer the Accuvote for $500. Poul Heilmann moved the sale motion, Amy Lewis seconded, and the vote was unanimous.

Board members also heard that the town’s moderators are examining newer check-in devices, called polling pads, which can synchronize check-ins and absentee processing across multiple tablets to improve efficiency. Smith said he will continue researching polling pads for the next grant cycle.

No public cost to the town was reported for the new VotingWorks machine. The Board entered a brief non-public session later in the meeting and reconvened; follow-up on the polling-pad research will be handled by staff ahead of the next grant opportunity.