HARRISBURG, Pa. – Dauphin County will spend $2.3 million to upgrade its voting machines to come in compliance with a 2020 statewide mandate. A contract with Clear Ballot was approved by the commissioners Wednesday morning.
The new machines will allow voters to fill in paper ballots and then enter those ballots into a scanner to record the results. Using the machines will be a tight turn around in Dauphin County, which needs to have the new machines in place by the April primary.
“We’re going to be putting information out there [to the public,] said Chad Saylor, Dauphin County Commissioners Chief of Staff. “Learn about the new voting systems but be patient with us. This is a big change, we’re going to do the best we can be understanding, be patient as we try to implement this change that governor wolf has mandated us to make.”
It’s still unclear how the county will pay for the machines. They are looking at several options, one of which includes reopening the budget to raise taxes. The commissioners plan to make a decision at their next meeting later this month.
