Form Sc 134 2017-2021: Fill & Download for Free

Cost, logistics, political will.Follow the money and see who pays and who benefits.In my state we use a paper ballot. It is scanned and counted as it is being mechanically deposited into a locked box. The ballot is preserved for recounts.If a voter makes an unclear choice the ballot is rejected and the voter gets a new ballot. Since the old ballot isn't counted or retained it never enters into the count/recountHow much would it cost to install a similar system in a state that has other voting equipment in place? I could not easily find out but here are some interesting numbers.http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/election-costs.aspx“A direct appropriation for purchasing new voting equipment http://statewide.In 2019 Hawaii (SB 166) allocated $789,598 for the purpose of a vote counting system http://contract.In 2019 South Carolina purchased new voting equipment statewide for a total cost of $51 million. Funds came from $40 million approved by the legislature, $9 million that had been previously appropriated, and $5.5 million of the state's HAVA security allocation. In 2019 Georgia appropriated $150 million for the replacement of voting equipment statewide. This was the culmination of a multi-year process in which a commission studied available voting equipment (see below for additional information). HB 316 (2019) required all elections in the state to be conducted with the use of electronic ballot markers and tabulated with ballot scanners. The state selected a vendor in July 2019. In 2019 Wyoming appropriated $7.5 million into an election readiness account (HB 21). The state's $3 million HAVA allocation will also be placed in this account, the majority of which will go toward replacing outdated voting equipment statewide. In 2019 North Dakota enacted SB 2002,which included a one-time appropriation for voting equipment and electronic poll books statewide. The total amount of $11.2 million included $8.2 million in state funds and $3 million in HAVA funds. In 2018 Ohio passed SB 135 which allocated up to $104.5 million (though the issuance of obligations) to counties for the replacement of voting equipment and $10 million in General Revenue Funds to reimburse counties that have already purchased new voting equipment. Machines will be purchased by the state using the proceeds from the issuance of Certificates of Participation (fixed income obligations, analogous to bonds). The equipment will be initially owned by the state and maintained by the counties. Ownership of the equipment will transfer to counties after payment of the Certificates of Participation. Funds are allocated based on a county’s population and number of registered http://voters.In Utah the 2018 governor’s budget,approved by the legislature, included a $4.5 million one-time allocation and $500,000 in ongoing funds for the purchase of new voting http://equipment.In 2018 Alaska's governor approved a fiscal package that included $4.8 to modernize and replace the existing election voting equipment. Alaska plans to use all of its allocated 2018 HAVA funds as well as this funding package to replace all of the voting equipment in the state before http://2020.In 2018 the Delaware legislature approved $10 million (included in the FY 2019 Bond Bill HB 475 section 40) to be used for a statewide voting equipment purchase. A Voting Equipment Selection Task Force, which included legislators as well as state and local election officials, recommended a vendor to provide voting equipment with a paper trail. The state will also use all of its $3 million in 2018 HAVA funds toward the new system. Rhode Island purchased voting machines statewide in 2016, with funds from the legislature. The total cost of the eight year lease with an option to purchase is $9.28 million. The Secretary of State's office also announced the statewide expansion of e-poll books beginning in 2018 after a successful pilot program of KnowINK's e-poll book.New Mexico purchased voting machines statewide in 2014, with funds directly appropriated by the legislature. North Dakota participated in NCSL's Elections 2020 Project in 2016. In 2017, the legislature considered and ultimately rejected two related bills: ND H 1122 would have provided $3 million to the secretary of state for the procurement and implementation of electronic pollbooks to be utilized statewide in all polling places and ND H 1123 would have provided $9 million to the secretary of state for the procurement and implementation of a voting system to be utilized statewide. North Dakota plans to use all of its allocated 2018 HAVA funds ($3 million) toward the purchase of new voting equipment, with plans to select a vendor in 2019.Splitting the cost of new voting equipment between the state and counties.Pennsylvania Govornor Tom Wolf announced funding for voting equipment upgrades in his 2019 budget. During funding negotiations a $90 million appropration was included in a bill passed by the legislature but subsequently vetoed by the governor since it would also have eliminated straight-ticket voting. The governor then announced that he would issue a bond to assist counties in purchasing new voting systems with a paper trail. The Pennsylvania Economic Development Finance Authority would issue bonds (up to $90 million) and the Department of State would make grants available to reimburse counties up to 60 percent of their actual costs to replace voting systems. This follows an announcement in 2018 by the Secretary of State that counties replace paperless machines by the November 2019 election. The date by which it now appears counties will be able to replace equipment is not until 2020 or 2021. In 2018 California Governor Jerry Brown included $134 million to help pay for voting equipment upgrades in his budget proposal, which was approved by the legislature in June (AB 1824). The bill requires the secretary of state to use the funds for voting system replacement by reimbursing counties for eligible expenses based on the size of the county, the number of registered voters, and the secretary of state’s estimate of need for voting equipment. To receive reimbursement, a county has to provide matching funds that are at least equivalent to state funds received. The state also plans to use $20 million of its allocated 2018 HAVA funds to provide county support for vote center implementation, which includes capital costs, infrastructure needs and equipment costs associated with vote center implementation. In 2017, Michigan approved the use of $40 million ($30 million in leftover HAVA funds and $10 million more through a direct appropriation) to cover the upfront costs of new election equipment, and five years of service and maintenance. Maintenance for the final five years of the 10-year contract will be covered by county and local http://governments.In Arkansas an appropriation to the secretary of state in 2015 included up to $30 million to replace voting equipment statewide. No money was set aside to pay for a statewide rollout, though. The secretary of state selected a voting system and has provided funds on a county by county basis, as funds became available, for the purchase of the new system. The funds have come out of the secretary of state's budget and the county voting systems grant fund and counties are expected to match the amount provided, resulting in a 50/50 cost sharing arrangement. Arkansas plans to use all of its allocated 2018 HAVA funds for the replacement of voting equipment, with an emphasis on the remaining counties that have equipment with no paper trail, and then the remaining counties who have not yet upgraded equipment. Maryland split the cost of its new statewide system 50/50 between the state and counties. The state negotiated a statewide lease of new equipment in 2014. In 2007, the Legislature mandated a paper trail of all ballots, but lack of funding precluded implementation until 2014 when the lease of new equipment was finalized. The new system requires voters to fill in by hand paper ballots that get fed into a scanner and tabulated.Other states are considering assisting counties with a percentage of the costs of new machines as well.Setting up a grant program or a low-interest loan program for counties that need to purchase http://equipment.In 2018 the West Virginia legislature passed a bill (SB 548) that authorized grant funding opportunities for local election officials for election system upgrades. The state will also add the 2018 HAVA funds to its existing "County Grant and Loan Fund" for election systems. The new funds will be distributed to counties for election equipment (50% grant with 50% local match), and physical security, cybersecurity and e-poll books (all up to 85% grant with a 15% local match).In 2017 Nevada passed AB519 that made $8 million in grant funds for replacing voting equipment available for counties. $4.5 million was allocated to Clark County (Las Vegas), $1.7 million to Washoe County (Reno), and $1.8 million to be distributed to the other counties in the http://state.In 2017 Minnesota created a Voting Equipment Grant Account as part of the State Government Omnibus Finance Bill(Article 3, Section 17) and allocated $7 million to the grant (Article 1, Section 6, Subd. 5). A political subdivision is eligible to receive up to 75% of the cost of e-poll book equipment and up to 50% the cost of voting http://equipment.In 2017 Utah passed HB 16 that made $275,000 available in grant funds for counties looking to buy new equipment, to be allocated based on the total number of active voters in a county. In 2017 Iowa's HF 516 included the establishment of an electronic poll book and polling place technology revolving loan fund (Section 37) to be administered by the state commission and using moneys allocated fromt the state commissioner's budget and any other moneys obtained for deposit in the fund.In 2017 Nebraska is considered, but did not pass, L 316 which would create the Election Technology Administration Fund consisting of federal funds, state funds, gifts, and grants appropriated for the administration of elections. The primary purpose of the fund is to ensure the longevity of the state's election technology. The Secretary of State shall make periodic requests for appropriations for the fund in order to ensure the ability to purchase new technology on a statewide basis as necessary. The Secretary of State shall use the fund for voting systems, provisional voting, computerized statewide voter registration lists, voter registration, training or informational materials related to elections, and any other costs related to elections. is considering two bills on funding elections technology this session as a culmination to its task force on elections technology.In 2015 Missouri’s Secretary of State made $2 million available in grant funds specifically for counties to purchase new machines. “ (End of cut and paste but Gboard too primitive to have cancel bullet point option, sorry)Lots of costs related to tweeks and upgrades, one full replacement: 51 million in SC. Taxpayer money well spent in my opinion but anti tax legislators may disagree or at least feel obligated to strike a pose against it.