Voters in nine Connecticut towns used brand new voting tabulators on Tuesday as part of the state’s efforts to upgrade its aging election equipment.
Funds from a $25 million bond helped officials purchase nearly 2,700 paper-based tabulators from vendor Election Systems & Software (ES&S). The new machines are the state's first equipment upgrade in nearly 20 years, according to the secretary of the state’s office.
“I am confident. I don’t think we're gonna have a problem,” said Tom Pugliese, the Republican registrar in Rocky Hill, ahead of Election Day. “We went from having eight machines to having 14 machines and all 14 machines worked flawlessly in the test anyway.”
Rocky Hill is one of nine towns that received new tabulators.
In Southington, which also got the new tabulators, Republican Registrar August Palmer said ES&S officials would be on-site on Election Day for unforeseen mishaps or troubleshooting.
Officials hope to upgrade tabulators in the rest of the state by the summer of 2025.
—Maysoon Khan