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County tests electronic voting in boardroom; members debate tally visibility and anonymity
Summary
Staff demonstrated a new electronic-voting feature with two- and three-option modes. Supervisors raised concerns about live tally visibility, lockable votes, and whether the system should replace paper ballots for specific votes.
County staff demonstrated new audio/visual equipment that includes an electronic-voting capability with two modes: a two-option (yes/no) and a three-option (yes/no/abstain) configuration. Connor, the AV technician, walked supervisors through the options and the system's back-end logging; he noted the hub uses a wireless frequency rather than Wi‑Fi and that results could be exported to create a permanent record.
Board members focused discussion on whether live tallies should be visible while voting, how to preserve anonymity for select votes, and whether votes could be locked once cast. Staff proposed physical fixes such as a vinyl overlay to hide on-screen counts. One supervisor asked whether the system could be set so votes lock after submission; staff said they would investigate. The board agreed to pilot the system and to continue using paper ballots for votes that legally require a written name on the record until they finalize settings.
