PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Peoria County board passed a new voting system tonight, telling people what to expect when stepping foot into the voting booth.
The $1.2 million purchase will allow a new voting system with upgrades to existing electronics poll books.
Executive Director for the Peoria County Election Commission, Thomas Bride, said the current voting system is 15 years old and outdated.
Instead of being given an access code to enter into the automated ballot system to fill out the ballot, people will be given a paper ballot, fill it out, and put it into a scanner. And no matter where people vote, from home or at the polling station, every ballot in Peoria County will look the same.
The new system should last at least ten years, if not more.
“The industry has really changed since 2005 and 6 when we purchased this. And paper, for audit-ability and security and really a lot of ease of mind, is where the industry is now,” said Bride.
The Peoria County Election Commission plans on increasing voter education and outreach to adapt to the new system over the next few years.
