OQUAWKA - Henderson County voters will have a more certain method of making their vote count when they go to the polls in November.
Approval was given by the County Board this week for purchase of 14 new optical scan voting units from Election Systems & Software, Chicago, for use at the county's precincts.
Board members tried out the system, which replaces the chad- style system, at their February meeting.
The ES&S model catches ballot errors immediately, reading votes that the voter marks by darkening in an oval on the form.
The system catches incorrect markings, overvoting and reads ballots even if inserted upside down.
Unit price on the new voting system is $5,200, or $72,800 for all county precincts. The federal government is providing the county with $45,000 in reimbursement toward the purchase cost through a buy-back program where the old chad systems are returned to the federal government.
The remaining cost will come from an election line-item provision in the county budget.
The ballot system changeover is mandated statewide by the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Compliance with the act is overseen by the state election board in Illinois and by the Secretary of State in Iowa.
About half of Illinois' local governments currently use the optical scan system. Nearly all Iowa municipalities use a similar system.
There are 5,200 registered voters in Henderson County.