The city of Lansing is asking the state of Michigan to help fund required upgrades of its election equipment.
Clerk Chris Swope said Lansing will likely need new equipment by 2027. The city last replaced it in 2017, and the machines have roughly a 10-year lifespan.
He said the required upgrades could cost the city up to $1 million.
The city’s previous equipment upgrade used a mix of federal funds from the Help America Vote Act and state funds.
Swope said several localities are asking the state to help foot the bill for the next round of upgrades but suggested the city plan for the possibility that does not happen.
“I’ve worked with fellow clerks to try and have the state pick up a significant portion of that, but at this point, there’s no indication that it will be anyone’s responsibility other than our own,” Swope said.
State Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Republican from Holly who served as secretary of state when the voting equipment was last updated, said she is hopeful that the state will be able to help localities with funding.
“It is vital to the integrity of our elections for all clerks in our state to have secure, up-to-date equipment, so I certainly hope this can be part of the budget discussions next year,” Johnson said.
Cheri Hardmon, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of State, said the department “is supportive of our state’s clerks and the need to replace election equipment for upcoming elections.”
“We are advocating for consistent federal funding support for elections,” Hardmon said. “But ultimately, it will be up to the Legislature to appropriate funds.”
Swope said ensuring the updated equipment can accommodate ranked choice voting will likely be part of the conversation. Organizers are pushing to get a proposal on the ballot in 2026 to use ranked choice voting — where voters would rank candidates in order of preference — in elections for state and federal offices.
East Lansing voters approved a ballot proposal in 2023 to use ranked choice voting in local elections, but it has not been implemented as the state has not approved using the method.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.