FAYETTEVILLE -- Three Northwest Arkansas counties formally asked to be added to the first stage of replacing Arkansas' decade-old voting equipment in time for the 2016 races.
The Washington County Election Commission finalized and sent a letter Friday to the secretary of state, governor and other officials saying two things: The need is urgent enough that the statewide overhaul's pilot program should be expanded, and the money for the equipment should be redistributed among the counties with population trends in mind. The letter requests Benton and Crawford counties be part of the expanded pilot.
At A Glance
Washington County School Elections
The Election Commission held its ballot draw Friday for the four contested school district races in September. The results were:
Farmington School District Position 3
• Wade Cash
• Tony Parsley
Fayetteville School District Zone 2
• Jeanne Champagne
• Phil Jones
• Robert Maranto
Prairie Grove School District Position 5
• Casie L. Ruland
• Mark Beaver
West Fork School District Position 3
• Deborah Harnish
• Kelley (Haley) Oliver
Source: Washington County Election Commission
"The commission's request is based on its concerns about completing future elections while continuing to use its current equipment, which is malfunctioning at an increasing rate," wrote the three commissioners, who are appointed by the county's political parties. The three counties are "committed" to doing the work needed to "efficiently implement the new system in advance of the March 1, 2016, primary election," they wrote.
The letter's message was conceived last month when election officials and state legislators gathered in the Washington County Courthouse to discuss Secretary of State Mark Martin's selection of Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software to replace the state's touch screens and ballot counters for nearly $30 million.
Martin later announced a pilot program to provide the equipment to Boone, Columbia, Garland and Sebastian counties in time for the primary, leaving the other 71 counties to get equipment before the November 2016 election. Some counties said they were happy to wait, but many of the larger ones decided to see if they could become involved before March.
Jennifer Price, Washington County election coordinator, said her equipment will accurately record and count votes. But the software is so old it can't be updated, and the machines have been used so much the batteries drain, the printers fail and other problems occur, she said.
"I think they (state officials) need to understand we're concerned, and they need to get going on a direction here," Bill Ackerman, a Republican on the Washington County commission, said Friday.
The letter also touched on how much of the pie counties get to replace machines. Most counties have lost voters, sometimes thousands, in the last decade, Price said. Meanwhile, Washington and Benton counties' voter rolls have surged by roughly 30,000 and are expected to keep climbing, according to the letter. But calculations for how much money goes to each county were based on a 2006 picture, Price said.
Both Washington and Benton counties would get about $1.5 million under the present bid. Price and the Washington County commission requested $450,000 more to meet increasing demand for years to come.
"That's one question I want them to answer down there (in Little Rock) -- why haven't you considered today's numbers versus 2006 -- because that seems real short-sighted to me," said Renee Oelschlaeger, the commission's Republican chairwoman.
With more money, Washington County could move to more touch screen-based elections with voting centers where all eligible voters can go, Price said. The school elections in September will feature such centers in Farmington, Fayetteville, Prairie Grove and West Fork, but the much larger general election can't be done this way yet, she said.
Even without a boost in money, the county will be better off than it is now, Price said. But the county might have to foot the bill for any extra equipment as a result, and the Quorum Court is reluctant to spend new money.
Secretary of State spokesman Chris Powell didn't return phone and email messages requesting comment Friday afternoon about whether the plan can be adjusted, whether population trends were considered and other questions.
The major hangup in the program is money; the General Assembly never provided the $30 million it allowed to be spent. The cost of the pilot program is coming from Martin's regular budget, Powell said last month.
Martin is working Gov. Asa Hutchinson to find the money, Powell has said. It could come from one or more rainy day or general improvement funds, for instance.
"It's a complicated process, and we have been in communication with counties from around the state," Powell said last month. "This is just where we are right now in this process, and we are working hard to make this a new and modern voting system for Arkansas."
NW News on 07/11/2015