COLUMBUS (WDTN) – Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has given the green light to county boards of election to begin acquiring new voting equipment through the Voting Equipment Acquisition Program.

A total of $104.5 million in funding will be made available to the state thanks to legislation enacted earlier this year.

“Ohio’s voters will soon say good-bye to aging voting equipment that pre-dates the first-generation iPhone,” said Husted. “Taking action now allows the voting machines to be put in place next year so poll workers can be trained, and the equipment can be tested well-ahead of the 2020 presidential election.”

Boards of election will select their new system, equipment, and services from the following vendors: Clear Ballot Group, Dominion Voting Systems, Election Systems & Software, Hart InterCivic, or Unisyn Voting Solutions.

The funding will be released in phases beginning with around $72 million available to counties who plan to replace their voting systems prior to the 2019 primary election.

Additionally, $10 million in reimbursement funding will be available to counties that have replaced their voting systems since January 1, 2014.

“Elections are a partnership between state and local governments,” says Husted. “We have run smooth elections in Ohio over the past eight years, and this will provide the foundation to ensure Ohio can do so well into the future.”

All voting equipment in the state of Ohio must meet federal certification standards set by the United States Election Assistance Commission as well as the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners.

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