In 2005, Doña Ana County was required by the state to spend more than $500,000 to purchase new electronic voting machines. A year later, the state changed courses and switched to paper ballots.
The machines, which are sitting in a warehouse, have never been and will never be used. A similar situation played out in counties across the state.
Lawmakers failed to approve the legislation in 2006 and earlier this year. The state informed
Commissioner Bill McCamley said he not only supports such a resolution, but doesn’t thin the county should make the Dec. 31 payment.
“If the state is going to force us to buy machines and then say a year later that we’re not going to use them, then they should pay the bill,” he said at the meeting.
“I absolutely, 100 percent agree,” said Commission Chairwoman Karen Perez.