County Commission approves acquisition of new voting equipment

Words by Justin Hunter | Photos by Al Blanton

Jasper, AL – On Monday the Walker County Commission gave the Walker County Probate Judge’s Office permission to move forward with a proposal to upgrade the current vote tabulators and switch to an electronic voter check-in system. The push is to have the new voting system in place by the November 3rd election.

Walker County Probate Judge Lee Tucker’s proposal will take advantage of an opportunity granted by the Alabama Secretary of State’s office to utilize Help America Vote Act (HAVA) 2020 funds. The funds will cover all the leasing costs of the DS200 election system & software except the ballots through 2022. The HAVA funds would purchase 90 electronic poll books and a year of software. The county would only have to cover the cost of training and software in 2021.

Judge Tucker’s proposal allows the county to modernize its voting system without expending county funds. The electronic poll book will help speed up lines and improve the in-person voting experience.

“With the HAVA funds, we are able to modernize our voting equipment without the county using $50,000 that is not in the budget,” said Probate Judge Lee Tucker.

The probate office began this process in early June and Tucker says he is excited that it is moving forward.