January 9, 2024 / Modified jan 10, 2024 12:38 a.m.

Cochise Supervisors approve $50,000 funding request for extra voting machines ahead of elections

The goal of the new equipment is to reduce wait times at vote centers

Ballot Verify AP An election worker verifies a ballot on a screen inside the Maricopa County Recorders Office, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Phoenix. On Friday, Dec. 2, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming Arizona’s Maricopa County announced that more than 540,000 voters visited voting centers on Election Day and that only 248,000 Election Day ballots were counted. Therefore, the county “lost” some 292,000 votes.
AP Photo/Matt York

In an effort to reduce the wait times at vote centers in the county, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 to approve the funding request of $50,000 to the elections department to purchase additional voting equipment.

Supervisors Peggy Judd and Ann English voted in favor and Supervisor Tom Crosby voted against approving the funding request.

The funds will go towards the purchase of 10 new Elections Systems and Software ExpressVote machines.

In a December work session, Cochise County Elections Director Tim Mattix said that some vote centers in the 2022 General Election reported wait times greater than 30 minutes.

Mattix said that by law and as outlined in the Elections Procedure Manual, the officer in charge of elections must establish and approve a wait time reduction plan to ensure voters don’t have to wait in line to vote for more than 30 minutes.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona