Election workers will have the help of a cargo trailer to haul voting machines to the polls in September.

The Plymouth County Supervisors approved purchasing the single-axle enclosed cargo trailer with a ramp for $3,000 Tuesday.

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The handicap-accessible voting machines weigh 89 pounds, which K. Kae Meyer, Plymouth County auditor, said she can't lift nor does she expect her staff too.

Those machines are in addition to the regular voting machines used in each of the county's 13 polling places, Meyer said.

The trailer is needed because with it the poll workers can transport voting machines in two loads for the entire county's polling sites the day before an election, Meyer said.

The cost of the trailer, which is discounted as the 2009 models are already being made, will come from the auditor's department budget.

The trailer will be stored at the county's emergency management department either inside or outside depending on space. It will be used with a van that was given to the election department by the conservation department.

Removable shelves will be built in the trailer to make it suitable for carrying the voting machines, and it will be available for use by other county departments.

The supervisors had discussed the trailer purchase request at their meeting last week, but waited until Tuesday to make a decision as the item wasn't listed on last week's meeting agenda.