Dallas County commissioners and the elections department have prioritized updating or replacing voting equipment — but it won't be done by the May runoffs, the county says.
Equipment failures in several recent elections included dead batteries, broken voting machines and ballots scanning so slowly that they cause long voter wait times.
March's separate Republican and Democratic party primary elections demanded more equipment use that exposed stress on supplies and software, much of which is outdated by several years.
But contracts and purchases cannot be rushed before primary runoff election early voting begins May 18, Elections Administrator Paul Adams said.
"We're approaching the end of life of this equipment," Adams said. "And something relatively soon will need to be done."
Commissioner John Wiley Price has for years warned about failing equipment that's consistently caused voting problems and potential disenfranchisement.
"Colleagues, what I'm basically telling you is, is that this equipment, some of it has outlived its life," he said at a recent commissioners court meeting. "It's one of the reasons I continue to keep it on this docket."
Talks to purchase updated equipment will continue ahead of the November midterms.
Commissioner Elba Garcia said during the March 17 commissioners court meeting that other possibilities should be explored.
“We may be able to lease it — looking to the new ways of doing business,” she said. “We bought this — $25 million — nine years ago. The life of this equipment has gone, but there has to be other options. I cannot believe that we are looking at another 25 to 40, $50 million in equipment in less than 10 years.”
Adams said he plans to continue near-weekly communication with election equipment vendor ES&S for potential solutions.
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