MERCER COUNTY — Mercer County Commissioners approved a plan Thursday to put maintenance warranties on Mercer County’s electronic voting systems for $113,250 over the next three years.
That money covers warranties on each machine to repair them in case something goes wrong and software upgrades and support, said Jeff Greenburg, elections director.
“The county took some time reviewing options,” Greenburg said. There is no outside vendor to repair the machines, he said, and so options were few.
Greenburg said the warranties would probably be a better deal than a “pay-as-you-go” approach to fixing broken machines. He said the cost to have a warranty on the county’s 290 machines at $55 apiece is less expensive than fixing just five machines.
As it stands, the county will ship broken machines to Election Systems and Software, Omaha, Neb., on their dime and then ES&S; will repair them.
A more expensive option was to pay $95 a machine, which would have included preventive maintenance and regular “tune-ups” for each machine.
By paying for three years at once, he said the county locked in the costs, which could increase in years to come.
