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County with voting problems to spend $15M on new machines

Posted at 8:51 AM, Feb 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-06 08:51:55-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida county where voting problems led to the suspension and resignation of its elections supervisor is spending $15.7 million on new voting machines.

The Palm Beach Post reports that Palm Beach County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday on the purchase of 900 scanners, 75 scanner components, 10 high-speed digital scanners and 525 ExpressVote terminals that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Democrat Susan Bucher last month and replaced her with Republican lawyer Wendy Link. Link says she's confident that the investment will prevent another election like the one in November, where officials struggled to complete recounts in four close races, including contests for governor and U.S. Senate.

Link says the new voting system should be ready by March 2020 for the Democratic presidential primary. Next month's municipal elections will use the old machines.

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Information from: The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, http://www.pbpost.com

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