A recent inventory of the Dallas County archives revealed the auditor’s department had 52 boxes filled with historical election records.

To save archive space but still maintain those records, the Board of Supervisors recently approved a contract with the Advantage Company out of Cedar Rapids to scan the documents into the auditor’s Papervision system. Dallas County Auditor Julia Helm explained the boxes contain pamphlet materials and tally books, which are used during vote canvasses, dating back to 1926. She spoke with other county auditors who told her they have all that information scanned and indexed digitally, which allows them to shred the old documents.

The documents in question aren’t to be confused with official election results books. Helm says she would like to scan those as well to make them easier for the public to access, but they will keep the physical copies of those. The estimated cost of the project is $15,925, and it will be started immediately.