Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Election Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selectmen approve purchase of VotingWorks ballot counter pending budget funds
Summary
The Board of Selectmen voted to acquire a VotingWorks electronic ballot counting system—net cost to Springfield approximately $4,000 after a temporary state rebate—with staff saying it will reduce post-election counting time and long-term costs compared with the town's older Accuvote tabulator.
The Springfield Board of Selectmen voted Oct. 28 to purchase a VotingWorks Electronic Ballot Counting System for use in town elections, pending identification of funds in the 2024 budget. Assistant Town Moderator Kevin Lee, Town Moderator Whit Smith and Town Clerk/Tax Collector Annika Munholand told the board the current Accuvote tabulator is increasingly hard to support and that the newer VotingWorks machine would allow Springfield to print local ballots on heavier-weight copy paper and speed post-election counts.
Kevin Lee said list price for the VotingWorks unit is $7,500 and the State is offering $3,500 toward replacement of older machines, making the town’s net purchase price about $4,000. He and Whit Smith said VotingWorks charges a $500 annual maintenance fee and may charge $500 to program a first election if the vendor prepares the ballot; once town staff are trained they can program the unit from a USB drive, reducing future programming costs.
"We got our Accuvote through a state grant and parts are now being cannibalized from salvaged machines," Whit Smith said, arguing the town should move to a supported, warrantied system. Lee cited other towns’ experience, saying one New Hampshire town finished tabulation 26 minutes after the polls closed where Springfield had been as late as 10 p.m.
Board Chair Poul Heilmann moved to purchase the VotingWorks machine contingent on finding sufficient funds in the 2024 budget; Selectman Steve Dzubak seconded the motion. Poul and Steve voted in favor of the motion. No dissenting vote was recorded in the meeting transcript.
The board discussed timing: town staff proposed having VotingWorks program the unit for the March 2025 election and using the state rebate, which officials said is time-limited. Officials said state and federal ballots would continue to come from the state; only local ballots would be printed locally once the town adopts the new system.
The board directed staff to identify a funding source in the current-year budget so the purchase can proceed before year-end if possible.
