Hamilton County will be getting new election equipment next year after conducting the city election in March on the current equipment that dates to 1998.
Election official Scott Allen said the state will fully cover the cost of the new equipment, which has been certified for use in Tennessee.
He said, "Our equipment is getting to where we need an upgrade."
Election Commission members noted that Hamilton County was among the earliest to get the latest in voting equipment, paying itself for the system. Then the same type system was funded by the state for other counties. Hamilton County asked for a reimbursement, but it was not granted.
Mr. Allen said he has been assured that "the money is there to cover the cost of the new equipment for Hamilton County."
In another matter, Moses Freeman, who plans to run for City Council District 8, said residents in his MLK Boulevard district, including those at Whiteside Manor, have traditionally voted nearby. But he said the polling place this time was in Highland Park at a Tennessee Temple gym. He said that site is actually just outside of District 8.
Election officials said the change was as a result of the recent redistricting.
Chairman Mike Walden said the election office will seek to find a place that is convenient to residents in the district.
The commission told a group of Westside residents seeking to get an initiative on the ballot that attorneys from both the city and the state had problems with it and it needs to be refined.
The initiative has to do with requirements related to demolishing public housing units and replacing those with a planned unit development.
Cost of the Aug. 2 election for Hamilton County was $245,971. That includes pay of $83,385 for election day workers and $19,828 in staff overtime. Ballots cost $35,643. The audit was $9,084.