An ordinance establishing vote centers for the 2018 November general election is among the items on the Baxter County Quorum Court agenda Tuesday evening at 6:00.
At the quorum court’s July meeting, Election Commission Chairman Judy Garner presented a plan to consolidate the current 22 polling sites into 10, as the county moves toward the implementation of vote centers. Vote centers allow registered voters in a county to cast their ballot at any polling site. They are a county-wide version of early voting, generally held at the Baxter County Courthouse.
Garner told the quorum court the consolidation plan is the first step in conveying to the secretary of state’s office the county is serious in converting to vote centers. With the consolidation and the need for a smaller amount of new needed voting equipment, the commission is hopeful funding can be secured through the secretary of state’s office.
Following the meeting, KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news was in contact with Kelly Boyd, chief of staff for Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin.
Boyd says, unfortunately, the funds identified for counties to tap into for the purchase of new voting equipment has been exhausted. He also noted, since Secretary Martin will leave office at the end of the year due to term limits, future funding for new voting equipment is unknown.
Regardless, he says Baxter County officials are moving in the right direction for the citizens by transitioning to vote centers.
He says 54 counties have adopted vote centers since authorization was given by the legislature in 2013. Consequently, 68.6 percent of registered voters are now utilizing the new integrated election equipment system.
To complete the process, the next secretary of state will need to identify $5.7 million for new voting equipment.
Baxter County and Circuit Clerk Canda Reese says she, too, has contacted Boyd regarding available funding for new voting equipment. She says he was not encouraging that funding would be made available by the end of the year and the Martin administration.
However, if funding should become available through any remaining budget cleanup, Baxter County’s application will be considered. Reese says even without funding for the new equipment, officials are continuing their efforts to implement vote centers.
In other quorum court business, the justices will consider an ordinance adding a full-time jail transport deputy at the sheriff’s office.
An ordinance amending the minimum standards and regulations for land development will be placed on its second reading.
These items are all part of a 12-item agenda when the quorum court meets in the second floor courtroom of the Baxter County Courthouse.
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