Elections Technology, Aging in Place.

• Author: Hladick, Bethany
• Position: TRENDS

Many think task forces are places where good ideas go to die. And yet, with states hard-pressed to determine how to continue to fund and maintain their elections equipment, task forces offer hope.

In Colorado, Delaware, Nebraska, Penn sylvani a, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming, either the legislature or the executive branch has created a task force or special committee in the last three years to hash out what modern elections technology will best fit the state's needs.

In addition to the task forces, more than a dozen other states have addressed the elections tech issue recently, mostly by allocating funds or rethinking their requirements.

Most voting equipment around the country was bought at about the same time with federal funds from the Help America Vote Act of 2002, and it is aging at the same rate. With a life expectancy of around 10 to 15 years and a new emphasis on elections security, it's time to upgrade.

These task forces are asking whether current policies in the state are the right ones for the future and, if not, how might policy changes affect tech needs?

Some states are moving toward more mail voting, others are adopting cost-saving vote centers and a few are considering ranked-choice voting, a potential option for the future. These choices all have tech implications.

Who will pay, the co unties or the state? Or will Congress allocate funding again sometime soon? No...