By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
President George W. Bush signed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002, long before election results were called into question. At Tuesday's Barton County Commission meeting, Clerk Bev Schmeidler announced her office had received just more than $94,000 as part of a HAVA Security Grant.
"It's for anything to improve security for elections," she said. "So we have gone out for bids for improving our office when we move back into the courthouse, topping off the walls, then the room we use for early voting, as well as the room we secure our election equipment in. The walls only went just above the drop ceiling. We're going to extend those up to the true ceiling so nobody can get in there."
Changes will include replacing a door that was not tamper-proof, filling in a window in the early voting room, purchasing a new trailer to haul election equipment, and purchasing security bags to transfer supplies to voting locations. Brentwood Builders and Dave Tabrizi submitted similar bids for the construction work that will include new locks in the office, a new locking cabinet, and a workstation. The commission approved the bid at $74,810, which will be replenished once the grant money arrives.