Cerro Gordo supervisors approve buying new election equipment

MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors today approved the purchase of new election equipment.

County Auditor Adam Wedmore says the current equipment needs to be replaced, and rather than wait for the normal budgeting process, he wants to put the order in now so it can be ready for the November 2023 city and school board elections.   “The reason we are coming to you now is the availability of the equipment. Right now it’s 26 weeks out from when we place the order, which means if we place the order now, we would get the equipment in probably April or May of next year, which is the best time possible as far as the election schedule.”

Wedmore says several things need to take place with the new equipment prior to its being used in the city and school elections.  “Once we receive the equipment, we have several weeks of certification testing and acceptance testing for every piece of equipment to make sure that it is up to the standards, that it does meet all of our specifications, as well as training. That would allow us the summer months to do the testing and get the equipment ready for the city/school election. The last thing we want to do is deploy new equipment in what we call a large general election, like the presidential election in two years, so the city/school election of 2023 would be a great opportunity to use that equipment for the first time.”

The supervisors approved spending $296,695 for the equipment. It will come from the county’s General Supplemental Funds, a special account that can only be used for certain items including the purchase of election equipment.