TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — Tippecanoe County will not get new voting machines for the 2020 election.
This decision comes after months of discussion about purchasing new equipment. The Election Board Chairman Randy Vonderheide said it's not necessary to invest at this time.
He said the current machines are accurate and functional and he also doesn't believe it's wise to get new machines before a big presidential election. He said the new machines will take extensive training and preparation and the county doesn't want to risk any mess-ups due to working with new equipment.
“Eventually we're going to be required to have new equipment but we're not going to have new equipment for the biggest election we've had in a while, in part because, I mean, you don't change horses at that point in time, it's kind of like bringing your new players in for the A-game,” said Vonderheide.
The County is planning to purchase the new machines in 2021 during a non-election year.
“There's going to be new voting equipment, we don't want to be in a rush,” said Vonderheide. "We want to get the best equipment available the most serviceable equipment the equipment that's the most user-friendly to the voters and that will last the longest,” said Vonderheide.
According to County Clerk Julie Roush, there were only two complaints expressed to poll workers about issues with machines this year.
