County considers electronic poll pads
Polling places in Franklin County could be looking at the elections of the future.
Probate Judge Barry Moore, who is chairman of the Franklin County Commission, made the commission aware Monday of the potential future opportunity to introduce electronic poll pads at voting locations in Franklin County. Moore said the state department is currently working with potential vendors of these devices to select one or more approved providers.
“It’s like an iPad,” Moore explained. “When you go vote, instead of having the probate office print off those sheets, where when you go vote they have to highlight your name … what you do is show your driver’s license, scan it and it pops up with your name. So it makes it very easy.”
Moore said he opted not to participate in the recent pilot program for the electronic poll pads because the pilot designated only a few pads to each participating county. “I’d like to give one to every precinct if we were going to do a pilot program,” Moore said. He has, however, heard positive feedback from those counties that did participate in the pilot. “Everybody that used them raved about them,” Moore said.
Moore said one concern is how the poll pads will be funded, if the county decides to pursue acquiring the pads. The devices come in at $1,000 to $1,300 apiece, multiplied by the county’s 25 precincts, plus required yearly maintenance contract. Moore said he is waiting to find out more information from the state department – particularly, whether the state would be funding any portion of the pads that would be purchased – before the commission would consider whether to make such a purchase.
The county also:
- Approved a temporary courthouse employee.
- Approved terminations and hires in the solid waste department.
- Approved the Solid Waste Management Plan, following a public hearing.
- Voted to purchase an ad in Business Alabama Magazine, for $1,845.
- Gave approval to advertise to vacate a portion of Jackson Military Road.
- Voted for GovDeals Financial Settlement Services.
- Approved a resolution to sign contracts for engineering for the Oak Hills project, based on the tabulation sheet. The project will be funded by a $350,000 CDBG grant, $200,000 ARCS grant, $114,259 in-kind from the county and $155,828 county cash match. The contract was awarded to Civil Group.
