At the last meeting of the Board of Public Works, Governor Hogan announced a revised contract submission, amended to split the costs of extra voting equipment 50/50 between state and county funding. MACo had previously sent a letter to the Governor asking for such a split – consistent with 15 years’ practice since 2001 legislation. The Board approved the amended contract change, agreeing with MACo’s request.
“You asked for the funding to be split, and we came through with it, and passed it,” the Governor said at the MACo Summer Conference, revealing to the MACo audience the decision from earlier that week.
The MACo letter from July 27 detailed the county request. Numerous county election administrators have requested extra scanners, memory sticks, and related equipment to effectively manage the November general elections. For some jurisdictions, 2016 will be the first time voters have used a paper ballot system (in 2001, the state mandated each jurisdiction to switch to on-screen voting systems, and created the 50/50 cost split for related equipment).
See previous Conduit Street coverage: