Athens Review, Athens, Texas

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January 26, 2006

Voting goes high tech

County hopes electronic ballot machines effective

By Art Lawler

No, really, they’re not that difficult. You know the new plug-in voting machines? They’re as electric as a vacuum cleaner, and as computerized as R2-D2.

And they’re going to be in place during the March 7 primary election, and for early balloting prior to that election.

Fear not.

Two of the smartest women in the courthouse, Gwen Moffeit and her deputy, Evelyn Anderson, displayed the machines for me — the world’s most technologically challenged mammal — Monday afternoon.

If you like, you can vote the way you’ve always voted. Just pick up a ballot, make your marks next to the candidates of your choice, and deposit your selections in the “tray” instead of the hole in the box.

Don’t worry about getting your ballot in the “tray” properly. Just lay it down and stop worrying. No matter how you lay it down, upside down, rightside up, backside, frontside, the “tray” is going to slurp up your ballot and take it away and record your votes, just like the slit in the box used to take your ballot away.

Now, there is this one tiny difference. Don’t get excited, but...

The “tray,” which is actually what they call an E-Scanner, which sits on top of a bulky black machine, may regurgitate your ballot right back to you.

Not to worry.

It just means the E-Scanner has read your ballot swiftly and noticed that you over-voted. That is, you voted for two people in the same race.

Mustn’t do that.

Once your ballot is returned, it’ll have a note on it telling you where you messed up.

All you have to do then is start over.

Take your ballot to the election judge in your precinct. Confess, and ask for a fresh, new ballot.

The election judge will give you a new one and take your messed up ballot and “spoil” it. That’s election talk for an official taking the ballot and placing it carefully in an envelope and filing it.

The reason they do that is because they have to account for every ballot at the end of the day, and it had better be the same number as were passed out by election officials during the election.

But since it’s in an envelope, no one will ever know how you voted before you screwed up. They’ll just count it as a ballot issued during the squaring away process.

Now then, back at your E-Scan (Electronic Optical) voting machine. Let’s say you’ve come to a few candidates in a certain race, none of which you can stomach. You’d rather just not vote for any of them.

Then don’t.

The E-Scanner doesn’t care if you “undervote,” only if you “overvote” for some reason.

But let’s say you are computer savvy and don’t fight with your PC at home. Let’s say you’re actually compatible with the 21st century.

If so, you may be a good candidate for the E-Slate, (no paper work necessary) machine.

First, go to the election judges and prove yourself voter-eligible. Instead of taking a ballot from them, you tell them you want to go the slate route. They’ll give you a four-digit number, instead of the ballot.

Take that four-digit number and dial it into your E-Slate machine. Your designated ballot will appear immediately on the screen.

Then ...

• Use the dial to bring up the candidates of your choice;

• do this repeatedly until you can’t find anyone else to vote for; and

• send your ballot on its way. It will be counted immediately after you send it away.

But wait. Let’s say at the last moment you have a change of heart. “I want my ballot back.”

Fear not, again.

The machine is programmed to know that you’re human and fallible and subject to changing your mind, so it gives you a second chance. Your ballot will go from the back page to the front.

It’s sort of like on your computer at work or at home. Sometimes you give it a command, and you get a little note on the screen that says, “Are you sure?”

This one doesn’t go that far, but you do get “do-overs.”

Simply return to the page with the candidate you wish to vote for. Delete the old mark and dial in the new candidate.

Don’t worry about over-voting because, as has already been explained, these machines won’t tolerate it, which means you can’t do it.

Now then, there’s a third machine called the DRE machine. This one sits much lower than the E-Slate. It’s primarily designed for physically challenge voters who may be blind, or in a wheelchair. This machine has Braille wording next to the different buttons to help the blind person vote.

Such machines are oftentimes not in use. Moffeit, the County Clerk, says anyone else voting may use these machines, also when they’re not in use, as a way of expediting the voting process. They work just like the E-Scanner, otherwise.

As usual, Moffeit said the normal voting booths will be in place for the privacy of voters using paper ballots.

For those using the E-Scanner or the E-Slate, plastic walls will protect your privacy on each side of the machine.

So, as you can see, there’s no need for worry, unless there’s lightning, or the computer crashes, or some other glitch develops.

Actually, when everything’s working, it’s simple, accurate and fast.

Or as Moffeit sums it up: “Pray for us.”

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