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New Voting Procedures

New In-Person Voting Procedures:

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​​Step 1 - Identification: At check-in, you will be asked to state your name, address and date of birth to the poll worker at the first desk.  Once verified, you will electronically sign your name on a tablet.   

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Step 2 – Obtaining Voting Credentials:  A card will be programmed, and a ticket printed for you to hand to the poll worker at the voting machine.  

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Step 3 – Creating Your Ballot: You must hand the ticket and card to a poll worker, who will insert the card into a card reader to activate the ballot screen.  Once the ballot screen shows up, you will vote using a touch screen.  When you are done voting, the machine will print your ballot on both sides of a large piece of paper. 

 

The printer pauses after the first side is done, then the paper reverses back into the printer.   Reaching for the ballot too early will jam the printer.  

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Step 4 – Scanning Your Ballot:  You must carry your ballot across the room to a scanner.  Both sides will show who you voted for in bold, large print.  If you don’t want anyone to see how you voted, you can request a privacy folder from a poll worker either before or after voting.  The scanner is monitored by yet another poll worker who can see your ballot unless you are able to carefully maneuver it into the scanner under the privacy folder you requested. 

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Now you have finally voted!

 

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​​​​​​What's the Problem? â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

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​​Assuming everything goes smoothly, and there's nobody ahead of you, the process should take about 5 minutes.  However, in a presidential year, there will be long lines. What's more, this process is fraught with privacy issues and multiple points of potential failure.

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Privacy Issues

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  • Lack of Personal Privacy (at check-in)

  • Lack of Voting Privacy (bringing ballot to scanner, and during scanning) ​

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Points of Potential Failure/Breakdown​

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  • 7 Potential Points for Hardware Failures (check-in computer and tablet, check-in printer, ballot card, ballot card reader, touch screen, ballot printer, and ballot scanner)

  • 7 Potential Points for Software Failures (check-in computer and tablets, check-in printer, card reader, touch screen, ballot printer, and ballot scanner)

  • 3 Potential Points for Paper Jams (check-in printer, ballot printer, and ballot scanners)

  • 5 Potential Supply/Replenishment Issues (Ballot Cards, Printer Paper (2 kinds), Printer Ink (2 kinds)

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A single breakdown can shut down voting in your precinct for an unknown period of time.  With this many potential failure points, breakdowns and delays are inevitable and will likely disenfranchise those who cannot wait or who get closed out at the end of the day.

 

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Early Voting or Voting by Mail are much better options

​HERE'S HOW

Red Republican Elephant Symbol surrounded by a red circle
Red Republican Elephant Symbol surrounded by a red circle
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