Earlier this year, Hart InterCivic Verity was chosen as the new vendor to provide voting equipment for the county. Clerk Betsy Hundley says the new, next generation equipment is expected to be delivered Monday to the Livingston County EMS building on Tooley Road in Howell. Acceptance testing will take place the first week of August, and the equipment will then be distributed to local jurisdictions the following Monday, August 7th.

Hundley has said the machines will turn out results on election night much more quickly than the current system, and the ballot programming fee is being reduced by $50 per precinct. She believes the new system will last a minimum of 10 years and speculates it’ll hold out far beyond that.

The new tabulators, ADA devices for disabled voters, and software was paid for through a combination of state, federal, and local funding. The old equipment will be used for the August 8th election, and the new equipment will be used for the first time in the November 7th election. (DK)