Olivia P Tucker
Times Reporter
Scott County Commissioners discuss the possibility of utilizing a texting program to send election updates at their regular meeting on Jan. 17.
Scott County Clerk Michelle Shelton spoke to the commissioners about a possible texting program called TextMyGov that can be used to send updates on the location of the voting centers and other updates about the election. This is a program that can be signed up for by an individual but also could potentially already receive updates if a cellphone number is registered through the state, she said.
Shelton said that the company is also offering a two-year flagship contract that is for $2,200 compared to the usual cost of $6,000 for maintenance after the $2,200 for a starter fee. Currently, Shelton said that there is a grant that can cover the cost of the first year but the second year costs aren’t guaranteed to be covered by the same grant.
The information that will be passed to the citizens of Scott County about election information will be an email collaboration between the clerk and a representative through TextMyGov, said Shelton.
Commissioner President Mike Jones expressed concerns about the company protecting the personal information of the citizens of Scott County if there is an agreement to use the services of TextMyGov.
Commissioner Randy Julian said that he thought the idea was good but he agreed with Jones in the concern of the protection of personal information.
“I would be supportive of this after we get more details because we are changing some [voting] locations. I think it would help clear out some confusion,” Commissioner Greg Prince said,
The commissioners made the decision to get more direct information from TextMyGov before making any further decisions on the use of the program.