INDIAN RIVER COUNTY— Indian River County’s deadline to replace its voting system equipment by 2016 has been extended to 2020 due to new legislation passed at the end of 2013.
Supervisor of Elections Leslie Swan addressed the Indian River County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning to explain the extensive measures already taken to extend the life of the current equipment and the plan to begin saving for inevitable future purchases.
Since the new legislation was passed, Indian River County’s current voting machines have been inspected and serviced, undergone preventative maintenance, and received a new set of batteries.
New back-up memory cartridges have also been purchased to eliminate previous vulnerabilities.
Swan reiterated the opportunity the county now has to put aside money over the next several years in order to be able to purchase a new voting system by the 2020 deadline.
The total cost to purchase a new voting system is expected to be around $1.4 million.
Commissioner Tim Zorc asked Swan to include an outline breaking down the plan to save for the new voting system and present it when she gives her annual budget to the Board of Commissioners in April. Swan obliged.
Commissioner Joe Flescher commended Swan on her ability to save the county money by extending the life of the current system and for her foresight in spreading out the cost of the new systems over the next several years.
