Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Election Equipment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Peterborough Select Board approves purchase of new ballot-counting machine
Summary
The Select Board unanimously approved buying a replacement ballot-counting machine under the Secretary of State program (Help America Vote Act), citing obsolete equipment, limited parts availability after a manufacturer change, and a state reimbursement offer if ordered by June 30.
The Peterborough Select Board voted unanimously March 3 to approve purchase of a replacement ballot-counting machine under the Secretary of State program funded by the Help America Vote Act.
Chair Tyler Ward moved to approve the purchase and Mr. Bill Kennedy seconded; the motion carried with all voting in favor. Budget Committee member Tony Pascale explained the town’s current machines are about 15–16 years old and run Windows XP, a system no longer supported by Microsoft, and said the original manufacturer was acquired by Dominion and the discontinued model no longer has available mechanical replacement parts. Linda Guyette told the board the state has agreed to reimburse a portion of the cost if the machine is purchased by June 30 and urged the town to order the device immediately so it will be operational for the May 12 election.
Town staff noted the new unit, like the town’s existing machines, is not designed to connect to the internet; Pascale added that it keeps a digital image of every submitted ballot for verification purposes. Following the approval the board moved on to administrative updates about poll staffing and contingency planning such as appointing a Selectman Pro Tem if a current member is running for re-election.
The board’s vote authorizes staff to proceed with procurement through the Secretary of State’s program; officials said they will follow the program’s reimbursement timeline and coordinate delivery so the machine is available for May election operations.
