By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Ellis County residents will cast their votes on paper in future elections after the county commission approved the purchase of new voting equipment Monday.

The commission approved the purchase of 11 ballot counters and 11 touchscreen machines that are ADA compliant from Election Systems & Software (ES&S) of Omaha, Neb., for $85,391.

The new machines replace the more than decade-old existing equipment and also allows the county to comply with state law that requires paper ballots for a post-election audit.

Officials from ES&S and two other companies held demonstrations of the equipment to groups of election officials and Ellis County voters in February.

The commission also approved the purchase of poll books for an additional $24,896 from Election Source. According to Election Officer Donna Maskus the poll books are the tablets that scan the voter’s ID and tell the election worker what ballot that voter gets.

Maskus said the election officer has been setting money aside in the equipment fund for several years to pay for the new equipment.

Barton County also recently purchased similar equipment from ES&S.

In other business Monday, the commission:

• Approved the use of $29,424 of excess sales tax revenue to build a fitness room for emergency services personnel in the basement of the Emergency Services Building.

• Accepted a bid for $180,900 from Commercial Builders to make improvements to the elevator at the Law Enforcement Center.

• Approved the reorganization of the Environmental Division within the Public Works Department and rejected a bid for the removal of the staircase in the central atrium at the Administrative Center.

The commission will also take part in a tour of county roads on April 29.