Touch Screen Voting Easy and Fool-Proof
While the machines are initially expensive, touch screen voting pays off in the long run because of the cost reductions from not having to print ballots or pay poll workers for hours of tabulating.
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Linda Fonk, a chief poll inspector in Mount Pleasant, demonstrates how to use a touch screen voting machine. (March 29, 2012)
Videos (1)
Videos
You've probably seen them at your polling location; the giant tablets in the corner? Those are touch screen voting machines, and they can save voters time while saving municipalities time and money.
mau
1:35 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
The video isn't working.
I would still prefer a paper trail. With the paper ballot, making a line to join the lines, entering it into the machine, you are still getting an automatic tally. If there is a question about the tally you still have the ballots to fall back on. I would assume the books still have to be justified with the vote total. Also makes it a little more difficult for tampering. So in all you still need poll workers and it could still take a long time to get a full tally.
And what if I make a mistake, how do I re-vote.
Heather Asiyanbi
1:44 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
@mau - the video worked for me even when I wasn't signed in, but had you been able to view it, you would have seen Linda take voters through the whole process - how you get a screen that summarizes your vote, giving you the opportunity to go back, I think as many times as you want, until you confirm that you're ready to submit your final choice(s).
The machines also provide a paper trail - with a paper summary of your vote that rolls up to prevent the next voter from seeing how you filled out the ballot. Linda told me that using the touch screens means tallies are done in about 30 minutes as opposed to a couple of hours or more using the paper ballots. Because each machine has its own memory card and is not connected to the internet, there is little tampering possibilities.
Linda has been a chief inspector for a number of years and she said it will only be five to 10 years before paper ballots are at thing of the past.
I'm sorry you can't see the video - Linda does a great job explaining how it all works.
mau
2:46 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
This time I was able to see the video. That machine looks similar to what we had for disabled voters, with the paper roll on the side. That answered my question about write-ins too. Thanks.
Luke
2:32 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012
Why is everyone avoiding the obvious question?
CAN IT PLAY ANGRY BIRDS???
James R Hoffa
3:34 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012
Interesting, but is it really more cost effective when one considers the initial costs of the machine, the fact that multiple machines would be needed in each ward, maintenance of the machines, regular replacement of the machines, reprogramming of the machines, toner, etc than just printing and continuing to use the tried and true optical scan ballots that are already pretty fool proof to tampering?