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Q&A
Discussion on voting machine replacement and technology updates
4:18:00
ยท
3 min
Council Member Brewer inquires about plans for replacing voting machines, particularly those for voters with disabilities. Board of Elections officials explain that while the current machines are not at the end of their useful life, there are challenges with memory expansion and accessibility. They discuss potential timelines for replacement, mentioning 2027 as a target year due to the election cycle.
- Current voting machines (DS200 scanners) are still serviceable, but ballot marking devices are past end-of-life
- No immediate plans to replace entire fleet due to election schedule and lack of certified alternatives
- Memory expansion is a key issue with current machines, limiting their upgradability
Gale A. Brewer
4:18:00
On voting machines, I know this is an ongoing topic going back again many years, but I understand that they're coming to their natural end, particularly with, those who have disabilities.
4:18:11
So I just wanted to know what's the next step.
4:18:14
I obviously know, the ballot marking devices.
4:18:17
What's the plan for replacing the scanners?
4:18:20
Are there certified, machines that would be appropriate, etcetera?
4:18:23
And what's the cost of all that?
Michael Ryan
4:18:25
So it's a little bit of a misnomer to say that the voting machines are coming to the end of their useful life.
4:18:32
We've been we received insurances from the vendor that as long as we're using the d s two hundreds, that being the scanner machines, that they will continue to service them and to to continue to have them operational.
4:18:44
While on the voting machines themselves, there have been some new, machines that are are out there in the marketplace, shall we say, and certified, by the state board of elections.
4:18:57
We have had internal conversations, and the challenge for us always is the schedule.
4:19:04
And given the size of the city of New York, it is not recommended to introduce a new voting system, certainly not during the presidential election year.
4:19:15
And then we follow that right up with the mayoral election and then right after that with, right up with the governor's race after that.
4:19:22
So the target for that conversation would be to do some form of public demonstration and have a target of 2027 if machines were going to be replaced, acknowledging that that will be a large expense if we were going to replace the entire fleet.
4:19:39
The ballot marking devices is a separate matter.
4:19:42
They are still service still serving us, but they are past the end of life, especially, if there's any changes to language requirements.
4:19:54
So, there is no other certified device that we can, replace these devices with.
4:20:02
So we're stuck, on those, for the time being.
4:20:07
We understand that there are presentations being readied to submit to the state board of elections, but nothing as far as I understand and, Vinny, you can correct me from Vincent, you can correct me if I'm wrong.
4:20:20
There, there's nothing before the state board of elections for consideration presently.
Gale A. Brewer
4:20:26
Okay.
Vincent Ignizio
4:20:27
Alright.
4:20:27
I mean Without which, you know, dead in the water.
4:20:29
We we just simply are not leaving
Gale A. Brewer
4:20:31
the keep, replacing parts and so on
Michael Ryan
4:20:35
or don't Yes.
Vincent Ignizio
4:20:35
Our vendors have said that they will continue to keep us, in operational form, for the foreseeable future.
Michael Ryan
4:20:42
And the main problem with the current machines other than the fact that they're old technology for the accessibility community, which is probably first and foremost, But the technical problem is the there is no way to expand the memory of the current machines.
4:21:01
Uh-huh.
4:21:01
And that's the problem.
4:21:03
So there they can accept what they can accept, and there's no way to do it.
4:21:08
We talked with the vendor about can this be, can we add like an external memory to it?
4:21:16
They said no.
4:21:17
It's a hardwired, motherboard on old technology, and it's kinda where it is.
Vincent Ignizio
4:21:24
And if I can, for the committee's edification, it's 34 schools out of a 55 early voting sites.
4:21:31
Just wanted to FYI for the record.