Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
machine to accept the ballot as they voted it, or do they wish for the machine to return the ballot <br />back to the voter for correction. <br />Orange County's current machines do not have that capability. They will accept the ballot as <br />marked and if the machine cannot read it, the ballot goes into the "out-stacked" bin. For out- <br />stacked ballots, precinct officials do an eye-hand count after the polls close and then add those <br />totals to the tabulator voting totals. With the new optical scan machine, all ballots will be totaled <br />as soon as the polls close (with the exception of any write-in votes). <br />The AutoMark is simply a marking device that will allow d ifferently-a bled voters to vote their <br />ballot in privacy. Once the machine marks the ballot, the voter will then place their ballot in the <br />optical scan machine for tabulation. The AutoMark has been tested by people with many <br />different types of challenges and all have felt very comfortable using it. These machines are <br />required by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to be in every one of Orange County's 44 <br />precincts, as well as in each of three Orange County One-Stop voting locations. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: County staff recommend that the Board of Commissioners appropriate <br />no County dollars towards voting equipment at this time. The State of North Carolina has on <br />hand $626,025 in federal grant money earmarked for the acquisition by Orange County of new <br />voting machines and ancillary equipment and supplies. The accompanying memo from the <br />State Board's Executive Director makes it clear that the State's current intent is to ensure that all <br />grant funds are expended before any County dollars are spent. <br />County Board of Elections staff have developed an estimate that it may cost a total of $649,744, <br />if the County ultimately acquires 3 optical scan machines for each of the County's three one- <br />stop voting sites. However, staff recommend that the County order at this time only as much <br />equipment as will be fully covered by the $626,025 in grant funds. As the voting machine <br />acquisition process continues to evolve at the State level, staff will come back to the Board of <br />Commissioners at a subsequent date if it becomes clear that County funding would be needed <br />to supplement grant funds to ensure Orange County's operational compliance with federal and <br />state election law. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board: <br />1) accept the Orange County Board of Elections' recommendation to acquire optical scan <br />and Automark voting equipment; <br />2) approve the acceptance of the grant award; and <br />3) authorize the Manager or his designee, and/or whomever the State Board of Elections <br />may subsequently specify as the appropriate signatory, to execute all documents <br />necessary to the acquisition, installation, and implementation of the new voting <br />equipment.