Title
City Clerk's Office Voting Equipment and Election Inspector Training Exchange with Pittsfield Township
Memorandum
City Council may not be aware of the many different opportunities the City has for collaboration with our neighboring jurisdictions to reduce costs and maximize service delivery. Recently, the City Clerk's Office worked out an in-kind exchange with Pittsfield Township to receive excess voting equipment from the township in exchange for election inspector training.
The City Clerk's Office received eight used AccuVote optical scan ballot tabulators from Pittsfield Township. The eight tabulators will be upgraded by the City to meet current firmware/hardware specifications currently in use by the State of Michigan for election equipment. The cost of this upgrade is approximately $250.00 per machine for a total of $2000.00, compared to approximately $32,000.00 to purchase new equipment. The addition of these eight machines will allow the City to operate larger absentee ballot counting boards in the general elections and provide back-up to the existing equipment as needed for repairs and maintenance.
In exchange, the City will provide Pittsfield Township staff and election inspectors with access to the City's training program, which will include training materials and staff support, as well as some actual election inspector training classes conducted by the City's election inspector recruiter. The training program collaboration began with the recruitment and training of election inspectors for the 2010 General Election and was well perceived by both communities.
The City Clerk's Office anticipates that the newly upgraded equipment will be ready for use as needed by the November 2011 election.
Staff
Prepared by: Lyn Badalamenti, Election Coordinator
Reviewed by: Jacqueline Beaudry, City Clerk
Approved by: Tom Crawford, Interim City Administrator