The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted down a proposal for a cost-saving new voting system.
Neal Kelly, the County’s Registrar of Voters, had proposed to save the County money by opting into a new State-approved system of voting for 2018.
The system involved a combination of automatic distribution of mail ballots to all voters, 150 computer-based Voter Centers and 93 secure drop boxes.
The system would replace the existing Orange County 1,100 polling places and eliminate the costs of running them.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted down a proposal for a cost-saving new voting system.
Neal Kelly, the County’s Registrar of Voters, had proposed to save the County money by opting into a new State-approved system of voting for 2018.
The system involved a combination of automatic distribution of mail ballots to all voters, 150 computer-based Voter Centers and 93 secure drop boxes.
The system would replace the existing Orange County 1,100 polling places and eliminate the costs of running them.
Existing voting machines are overdue for replacement, according to Kelley.
Following rejection of the proposed system, the Supervisors authorized him to come up with a proposal to replace the current voting machines.
It is estimated by Kelley that the new cost to the County will be as much as $40 million.
This article appeared in the June 21, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.
