BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Kern County is seeking reimbursements for purchases it has made to update its voting equipment since 2015 — and any spendings for potential voting system or equipment changes through this August — according to the Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting agenda for Tuesday.
A letter sent to the Board by Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Aimee Espinoza asks supervisors to approve the Voting System Replacement Contract 2025 with the California Secretary of State.
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If approved, the county could ask the state to reimburse eligible purchases, lease agreements and contracts the county has made — or will make — for voting system replacements from April 19, 2015, through Aug. 31, 2026.
This contract could reimburse up to $3,397,400, according to the agenda. The county has to match 25% of that, which is $849,350.06.
The match can include funds the county has already spent for qualifying purchases. This means the county won’t have to pay new costs for reimbursements on payments already made.
The agreement would reimburse about $1.2 million the county has already spent in relation with the voting changes, the agenda said. After this, the county would have $2.2 million left, pending additional qualifying spendings that have already been made.
Espinoza said the list of the county’s payments eligible for reimbursement has not been confirmed yet. Qualifying updates to equipment made over the years include electronic poll books, drop boxes, extractors, checkpoint routers and sorter bins.
The county has not replaced its voting system since 2015, but will have to look for a new voting system in the future, according to Espinoza.
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The following are some of the activities that are eligible for reimbursement, according to the proposed agreement:
New voting systems certified or approved under the California Voting Systems Standards
Electronic poll books, ballot-on-demand systems certified by the Secretary of State
Vote-by-mail ballot drop boxes that comply with Secretary of State regulations
Remote accessible vote-by-mail systems certified or approved by the Secretary of State
Telecommunication technologies for voter registration between polling places, vote centers and the office of the county elections official or the Secretary of State’s office
Vote-by-mail ballot sorting and processing equipment
Enhancement or update on an election management system
Costs related to administering an election during COVID
The Board is set to consider this agreement for approval during its meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board Chambers at 1115 Truxtun Ave.
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