Whitmer proposes $43 million for new election equipment
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed 2027-2028 budget includes more than $43 million for new voting equipment, an appropriation election officials across Michigan say is critical in keeping the state’s election infrastructure secure and up to date.
The money is only a tiny portion of the $88.1 billion proposal Whitmer unveiled Wednesday. If approved, it will allow clerks to upgrade their machinery to the newest federal standards without forcing cities and townships to shoulder all the costs on their own.
If that money doesn’t win approval from the Legislature, however, it could put a major crunch on local clerks who have already seen their elections budgets double or even triple in the last decade with recent expansions to voting procedures.
All three of Michigan’s contracts with the major voting companies that service election equipment across the state are set to expire at the end of February 2027, meaning clerks will upgrade to machines that meet new state certifications. The latest equipment, designed to meet new federal voting standards, can often cost at least $15,000 per precinct for tabulators and voter assist terminals, said Michael Siegrist, first vice president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks and the Canton Township clerk.
https://www.votebeat.org/michigan/2026/02/11/gretchen-whitmer-budget-proposal-new-voting-machines-election-equipment-2027-vvsg/
