Luzerne County voting system public demonstration announced

A public demonstration of Luzerne County voting system options will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, county Election Director Emily Cook said Wednesday.

Attendees will have the option to complete a brief feedback survey to assist the election bureau with its recommendation of a voting system to be used in the county starting in 2026, Cook said.

Reconsideration of the voting system is appropriate at this time because the five-year maintenance and support contract with the supplier, Dominion Voting System, expires at the end of this year, county Manager Romilda Crocamo has said.

The administration will eventually present county council with options on systems and pricing in case it wants to change, Crocamo has said. Another option for council would be negotiating a new maintenance and support contract to continue using the Dominion system for a set number of years.

Four vendors responded in February to the county’s request for proposals to provide a new voting system, and all have been invited to participate in the public demonstration, Cook said: Dominion, Clear Ballot Group Inc., Election Systems and Software (ES&S) and Hart InterCivic.

Cook said the administration has been analyzing the four vendor submissions to compare prices because the proposals differed in what equipment and support were included in purchase and lease options.

Depending on prices, the leasing option is worth considering because the county won’t be locked in if it decides to switch vendors, Cook has said.

Generally speaking, the county would have to spend several million dollars to purchase a system and under a million dollars annually to lease one, the administration has said.

The administration promised to work closely with the county’s five-citizen election board on formulating a recommendation to council.