New Hampshire’s Urgent Need for Election Equipment

Most election officials in New Hampshire count ballots using outdated tabulation machines that are slow and prone to breakdowns. To securely provide quick and accurate election results, New Hampshire must invest in ballot tabulation technology.

The Critical Need to Invest in Ballot Tabulation Equipment

• Machine-count jurisdictions are using equipment that’s decades past extinction. Jurisdictions that machine count are using AccuVote-OS tabulators, which were developed in 1986 and have been used in New Hampshire since 1990. The manufacturer stopped making the models in 2007 and the software hasn’t been updated for over a decade. New technology is critical to ensuring that equipment failures don’t impact election results.
• Election infrastructure investment is good governance. Lack of appropriate equipment costs New Hampshire taxpayers extra money for specialized machine maintenance and expensive hand counts.
• Public confidence in elections is enhanced by fast, accurate, and verifiable results. Updated, reliable tabulation equipment can deliver election results significantly faster after polls close. Paper ballots are securely stored and provide a critical paper trail if there is any question about the results.
• Newer ballot tabulation machines are more secure. The newest generation of tabulation machines provide an array of enhanced security features specially designed to protect against tampering. The machines are not connected to the internet, and must pass frequent, rigorous testing.

Investing in Election Equipment Makes Financial Sense

• Maintenance costs on existing equipment will only increase as the machines age.
• Inflation and wage increases raise the cost of hand counts.
• Equipment vendors offer leasing options and contracts that include maintenance.