A news release from the county shows that the purchase will be finished early in 2024, and Dane County has budgeted $19m to spend on this project next year. While the upgrades will take several years, some uses, such as safe storage, might commence before the spring elections in 2024. Printing services are often used to create ballots for upcoming elections like this.
Scott McDonell, the Dane County Clerk, commented:
“We are committed to holding safe, secure and accessible elections, which the current political situation and threats from election-outcome deniers have made increasingly difficult.”
The county's Board of Supervisors formed an Election Security Review Committee, which released its findings in 2022. The group concentrated on the framework of the electoral process and the general safety of polling professionals.
The primary finding recorded in the task force report was that the county's existing framework for conducting elections is "inadequate for a function identified as 'critical infrastructure'." The research suggests that the election administration of Dane and Madison County service clerks in Fitchburg should relocate to a specially designed building with improved features, such as water and fire prevention and detection.