Tri-Cities Voters Try New Voting Machines
Nate Morabito    WJHL-TV

Apr 6  2005
Early voters hit the polls today in one part of the Tri-Cities and not only did they avoid long lines, they also got the chance to use new voting machines.

Around 2,500 Johnson City voters are expected to vote early over the next two weeks.

They'll be choosing two city commissioners and four school board members.

The latest voting technology should make casting ballots a breeze throughout the Tri-Cities region.

"That was quick," was a common response today, as dozens of early voters take advantage of the "Micro-Vote Infinity."

It's a completely computerized voting machine that's designed to take the confusion out of voting.

Both Carter and Unicoi counties have experimented with the new machines.

Now, it's Washington County, Tennessee's turn.

Election workers say these new machines literally takes just seconds to use.

They only have a one-page ballot.

That's a big change from the eight-page ballots often found on older machines.

With the "Infinity," you put an "X" directly next to the candidates you want to vote for, and then hit the red button.

County Election Administrator Connie Sinks says the county is taking a step in the right direction.

"It's easier to look at your pages, to understand it, to review your ballot. Overall, it gets rid of the mechanical parts of the machine," Sinks said.

That gets rid of the mechanical problems, but these voting machines wont be used regularly for a while.

The Washington County Election Commission is only using early voting as a testing phase in preparation for next year.

That's when the federal "Help America Vote Act" takes effect.

The law requires all counties in every state to upgrade their voting machines by Fall of next year.

The purpose of the law is to help make voting easier for people with disabilities, and as we found out today, these machines are already making voting easier for people in Washington County.

At least early voters like Cheryl Nickles think so.

"The other machines had the lights and the arrows beside of them. These have the 'X's' right beside them, so you know exactly who you're voting for. It's a sure thing," Nickles said.

When election day rolls around on April 26th, the county will go back to using the old machines.

The Sullivan County Election Commission will use these same machines later this month.

They will only be used for early voting in Kingsport, Bristol, and Bluff city.