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Delaware to Include Paper Ballots for 2020 Election

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NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) - Delaware is moving closer to adopting new electronic voting machines that incorporate a paper trail, ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The Delaware State News reports the task force charged with approving a contract to replace the current machine unanimously approved the new ExpressVote XL machines Tuesday. The Joint Committee on Capital Improvement will meet Monday to review and vote on selecting Election Systems & Software as the vendor.

Officials can spend up to $13 million. The vendor will provide machines and other products, including a new database application, but the cost hasn't been publicly released.

The machines will mark voters' electronic selections on a card, which will be stored in an attached secure container.

Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove says the machines would likely stay in place for two decades.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.