The Stark County Commissioners have not yet decided whether to approve the purchase of new voting equipment by the board of elections, partly because the new equipment is mired in controversy.
The county currently uses equipment purchased from Dominion Voting Systems in 2013. The board of elections wants to buy new equipment from them again. But the commissioners expressed concerns because of questions raised about Dominion equipment used in the presidential election last year.
Elections Director Jeff Matthews says the controversy is rooted in false claims.
“Some of the claims made about Dominion Voting Systems are beyond absurd and require one to suspend all critical thought.”
Elections Board Chairman Sam Ferruccio says he doesn’t see a need to change companies.
“Where we’re at is a great place and this particular company has done a great job. We have a good partnership with them, and they did give us a good price.”
Board of Elections member Frank Braden agrees. He says the county has built a strong relationship with the company.
“The support that we’ve had over the years for handling software updates, upgrading, the need for equipment has been terrific.”
The new equipment is priced at $6.4 million. The commissioners say they will continue discussions with the board of elections, but there is no deadline for a decision.
