New York's Nassau County, will receive $2 million from the state to help transition from old lever voting machines to optical scanning machines for use in special district elections beginning next year.
Nassau will receive these funds because of financial difficulties and the myriad number of small special voting districts.
Nassau Board of Elections has submitted a plan to the state for lawmakers to release the funding, which is an Assembly initiative. Details of the plan have not been released, and it is not clear how soon the funds will be available.
The State Legislature and the governor had backed extensions for the past six years of lever machine usage in the thousands of special district elections such as villages, schools, libraries, fire, water and garbage throughout the state, but they indicated the extensions would end this year.
Nassau's Board of Elections has 1,300 optical scanning machines for federal, state, county, town and city elections. David Gugerty, Nassau's Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner, said another 150 to 200 machines are needed for the special districts, which hold elections about six times a year.
In a recent mailing from the Nassau Board of Elections to special districts, it suggested that the new scanner and tabulator would cost $300 a machine, with an additional $150 for each ballot marking device for handicapped voters, $50 for PDF ballot files, and $25 for mandatory inspector training.
The big fiscal difference is that the soon-to-be-banned lever machine rents for $150 each.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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