Carter County Clerk Mike Johnston gave fiscal court an update last Monday on the need to replace voting machines in the county’s voting precincts before the November primary election.
The total cost for new voting machines, across all precincts, will cost the county a little over $281,000, Johnston told the court. While the state is offering up $25 million for the replacements state-wide, that only comes out to about $2,200 per precinct – a fraction of the total costs.
Johnston told the court the county would also be eligible for a $57,000 grant to help offset some part of the costs, but the grant is a reimbursement grant. That means the county will have to pay the full price out of pocket for the voting machines before seeking the $57,000 reimbursement. In order to take advantage of the grant, though, the county does need to act within a limited time frame.
Since all of the voting machines won’t be available before the general election, Johnston said, they will be limiting primary voting to voting centers at East Middle, West Middle, Prichard Elementary, and Olive Hill Elementary schools, plus absentee voting.
Early voting will return this year, with polls opening at the clerk’s office from the Thursday before the election. Polling lines will be open to voters from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but polling places will remain open until 8 p.m. if necessary to accommodate anyone waiting in line at 6 p.m. Anyone arriving after 6 p.m. will not be allowed to join the line to vote on that day.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
