Voters beware, changes on the way
By Andrea McCann    Linton Daily Citizen   28 July 2005

The new voting machines are in, and the voter registration division of the Greene County Clerk's Office has one set up for demonstrations.

"The machine is here for people to see if they're in the courthouse," said Margie Cullison, election office clerk.

But if citizens can't get to the courthouse, there will still be opportunities to become familiar with the machines, she said. In March and April of 2006, staff will begin a countywide blitz to demonstrate and explain the new voting machines to the public. Cullison said examples of the places they'll visit include the Worthington Municipal Building, fire stations and senior centers. In addition, the staff members are available to attend the meetings of clubs and organizations as guest speakers about the new equipment.

Susan Fowler, who also works in the election office, said the machines are simple and accessible for everyone to use. She said each precinct will have a handicap-accessible machine that has shorter legs and wider sides than the others for easier access by wheelchair users. The machine is lightweight enough that it can be moved around on its stand or to a lap for easier reach similar to a word processor or laptop computer. Headphones also are available for individuals with vision deficiencies. A recorded explanation will guide those people through the voting process, Fowler said.

To use the machine, precinct judges will a card the size of a credit card or driver's license to bring up the appropriate candidates for that precinct. The voter simply looks at the ballot on a display screen and presses a button next to a straight-party ticket or the individual candidate for whom they wish to vote. When the voter has gone through the list on the screen, he or she presses a button to move to the next screen and continues the process until the ballot is completed. At that point, red lights come on around a red "vote" button. The screen indicates that the person may push the button to confirm his or her votes or go back through the ballot to make changes.

Fowler and Cullison said the new voting system will not only be easier for voters, but also for precinct workers. A tally card, similar to the card that starts the machines, will upload the votes, Fowler said.

"The machine also saves it in four different places," she said.

A printout comes out the back of the machine, and the precinct judge signs it and one other piece of paper much less paperwork than in the past, Cullison said.

A machine in the election office will read the tally cards, Cullison explained, and the tallies will be uploaded to a Web site so people can keep tabs on voting election night. She said the process is quick and will cut down on election night overtime pay because the work won't have to be done manually. Cullison said the Web site is in the process of being created.

"There won't be any absentee counts in the precincts," she added. "They'll all be in the office."

There will be a voting machine in the election office for people who will be away on election day and can stop by the courthouse to vote. Absentee voters who vote by mail will use a "bubble sheet" on which they color in a "bubble" next to their choices.

"People voting by absentee card need to be conscientious about marking them neatly so they'll scan properly," Cullison stressed.

She said the machines are good to the point of being infallible, so the only problems requiring recounts are expected to be with the absentee cards.

"They've found in other counties that absentee mail-in cards are the only place there were irregularities, and that was because of scanning," Cullison said.

"MicroVote will be here to help with both elections and poll worker training.

"We're looking at at least two more sessions of concentrated training."

Currently, the county and the state are going through voter registration data to confirm and it. Cullison said 1,324 Greene County voters have not responded to cards mailed to them requesting information s or clarifications.

"That's 1,324 people that're going to be mad when they get to the polls and have to vote provisionally," Fowler said.

Cullison said her office doesn't have phone numbers to contact many of the people, some phones have been disconnected, and some people who do answer are afraid they're being scammed and won't give their information over the phone.

"They're fearful it's a scam, as they should be," Cullison said. "If there's any doubt in their minds, they should call us."

Cullison said a driver's license number is required, as is a current address and signature that can be matched. She said voters' driver's license numbers are their voter identification numbers now. Anyone who doesn't drive can get a government-issued photo ID from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

"Voters need to be aware there will be several changes made in voting throughout the state," Cullison explained.

She said any conflicting information in a voter's file that doesn't match will prohibit him or her from voting.