LIVERMORE — Selectpersons on Monday unanimously accepted a $5,000 grant to support the 2020 election process.

The money is from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which received a large grant from the Chan Zuckersberg Initiative.

Town Clerk Renda Guild “caught on to this grant by doing her job, keeping her ears to the ground,” Administrative Assistant Aaron Miller said. “There are no matching funds required on our part.”

“A lot of towns aren’t getting the grant,” Guild said. They weren’t paying attention, she added.

Wanting some guidance from the board on how to spend the money, Guild mentioned was the town’s new website.

“The website is very educational and useful for our people,” she said. “Whether for elections, anything pertaining to elections, or other things. Taking $1,100 out of the grant is a great way to pay for it.”

People could sign up on the website to learn about elections or to help at the polls, Guild said.

Other proposed uses were buying two good-quality portable radios and a handicapped accessible voting station.

“The radios could be used to help with parking during the election and later at the landfill,” Guild said. “With the booth, people can sit, we won’t have to worry about them falling.”

A handicapped accessible station costs $300 to $400, Miller said.

The town has spent quite a sum to mail absentee ballots, and the grant can be used for that, Guild said.

“We’ve had 575 requests so far for absentee ballots,” she said. They’re 65 cents each to mail, she added.

“I’ve reached out to a lot of town clerks to see what they’re using the money for,” Guild said. “They all said to make sure you use all of it. We have until Dec. 31 to spend the money.”

“It doesn’t have to be for this election,” Miller said. “It can be for future endeavors, the educational piece, not just buying things.”

“Use it for whatever you think you need,” Selectperson Scott Richmond said.

Guild will keep the board informed on how grant money is spent.

The board also approved obtaining a bank card for Miller with a spending limit of up to $1,500. The card would be used for election and other town office purchases.

“Anytime we order something online, we have to cover that cost and get reimbursed for it,” Guild said. “We don’t get the tax exempt status (the town is eligible for).”

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