Sampson Elections Board member Dwight Williams Jr. inspects a mock ballot during a meeting Tuesday afternoon to go over new election software.
Elections board learns of yet another building move
Franklin Brown, front, and Coley Michael Warren, both members of the Sampson County Board of Elections, run ballots through the scanners as they test new software that will be used in upcoming elections.
Deputy Elections Director Krystin Turlington explains how the Automark scanner works.
Voters can expect more efficiency in upcoming elections thanks to new software upgrades the county is putting in place.
Board of Elections members were on hand Tuesday to perform a test run, reviewing the software and running some mock ballots to see that accuracy and function was ensured.
The new software, ElectionWare 5.2.4.0, allows county election staff to keep the original polling machines they had invested in but provide upgrades when needed, board members were told Tuesday.
Niya Rayner, the county’s elections director, told board members the current model of the machines they use is the DS200 by Election System & Software, ones that have been in use since 2017. The board elected to keep the machines instead of purchasing new ones from a different vendor back in April. The software, however, was in need of an update, she said. Prior to ElectionWare, they had been using a software called Unity, dating back to 2008.
The calculating machines, she explained, run on their own system, meaning they don’t run on Wi-Fi. This allows them to function securely without the concern of being hacked or tampered with, Rayner said.
“People get confused by the news, thinking that Russia or whoever is hacking everyone’s systems, but this is truly secure,” board member Dwight Williams pointed out.
Local municipal elections are coming up in November, with the filing date approaching in July. Primary elections for Sampson and N.C. will be held in May 2026 with the filing period opening Dec. 1, 2025.
The machines, Rayner said, will be available and ready in time for all upcoming elections.
During the meeting, talks turned to the polling sites and the cost the county incurs by renting vehicles to transport the voting machines across the county.
Interim county manager Jeffery Hudson, Rayner said, had noticed the board’s expense and suggested an alternative solution. Accommodations have been made, she said, so elections officials can use Sampson County Public Works box trucks for the transportation of the voting machines.
The board will also be using the Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center for all voting needs that require more open space. This can include things such as early voting, training purposes, or re-counts.
Rayner also updated the board on a relocation for the Board of Elections offices, something the Sampson County Board of Commissioners decided at its May 5 meeting. Board members, she said, were searching for larger and more private office space for the Veterans Service Office and the county’s IT Department and voted to swap BOE offices with the other two departments.
This comes as a surprise to some election board members, given that they just moved into their current location in November 2021.
“We were told that this was our last move,” attested board member Danny Jackson.
Commissioner Thaddeus Godwin was at Tuesday’s meeting and noted that commissioners’ reasoning for the move was based on the needs of the other two departments.
“IT really needs more room, and veterans need more privacy,” he stressed. “This building has more offices, which can provide that for them,” he state.
Rayner told her board the move will come with good and bad points.
“This comes with some pros and cons, but the county is willing to make necessary accommodations to make the transition work for everyone,” she explained.
Contact A.Goodman via email [email protected] or 9102494231