The Macon County Board of Elections met Monday afternoon and voted on a recommendation for a new voting system.
The Board of Elections held demonstrations on Aug. 23 and Aug. 30 of two voting systems as part of the required process to purchase new equipment. BOE Supervisor Melanie Thibault requested that the county buy new equipment during the Aug. 9 Board of County Commissioners meeting. Thibault was expected to be on the agenda for the Sept. 13 Board of Commissioners meeting to make the official request for the Hart system.
Thibault said the current equipment is about 20 years old and that Macon is one of five counties that does not have updated equipment. The state certified several new voting systems in 2019.
The state allows counties to use only equipment that has already been certified and there is a process the county must follow for selecting and buying new voting equipment.
That process includes the public demonstration of the recommended voting system plus at least one other system not currently used in the county. On Aug. 23, ES&S demonstrated its voting system; the county currently uses the company’s Unity system, which is now considered obsolete. The Aug. 30 demonstration was of the Hart system. During the demonstrations, the public had a chance to see how the systems work and ask questions about the equipment.
Those attending the demonstrations had several questions about the security of the systems and reducing the risk of ballot manipulation. According to state law, voting machines may not be connected to the internet, limiting the possibility of cyber interference. Voting machines may not contact a modem or modem chip.
Under state law, all North Carolina counties must use paper ballots to produce a paper trail which can be easily audited or recounted. The electronic machines demonstrated to meet ADA requirements print out paper ballots once the voter has made his/her selections. Federal law requires that ballot marking devices be available at every polling place for any voter who needs or wishes to use one to mark a ballot.
Selecting a new voting system
The selected new system must be tested in one precinct or in a simulated election. Thibault said they plan to test the equipment in the November 2023 municipal election. That will give the staff and precinct workers and opportunity to learn about the new system before the presidential election in 2024.
Thibault is requesting 24 machines for the new voting system. There are 15 precincts in the county plus five administrative precincts. The five administrative precincts are one-stop voting Franklin, one-stop voting Highlands, absentee, provisionals and transfers.
Thibault requested extra machines so there would be backups available in case a machine stops working on election day. The county is also required to have an ADA compliant machine with ballot marking assistance available at each precinct.