Voting rants

[sam_gordon]

The past couple years we've had fully electronic polls. Rotate a wheel to select the candidate, press 'Enter'. The screen would then go on to the next race. There was ALWAYS a line because some people "got it", others didn't and were slow.

This year, they hand me a paper ballot, but there was a machine off to the side. I asked and they said the machine was for handicapped people. On the paper ballot, you filled in the square next to the candidate, then take your sheet to a 'scanner', slide it in, and it records your vote. I started thinking "this is a step back", but as I drove off ~5 minutes after I parked, I realized it actually sped things up.

With the machines only, everyone was forced to wait while people did their thing. Like I mentioned before, some people could be slow, whether because they haven't made up their choice yet or they didn't understand how to use the machine.

With the 'fill in the box' ballot, I knew who I was voting for, it took less than a minute to fill out, and I put it through the scanner and walked out. It actually seemed MORE efficient (when it comes to time). I'm guessing the original ballot that I filled out is kept in the machine so if there is some question they can do a manual count.

I think the last presidential election, it took me 30 minutes to vote. This time less than 5. And that's hitting the poll location at approximately the same time.

ETA: the way they were set up, 6-8 people could be filling out their ballot at the same time. Their were cardboard shields so you couldn't see what your neighbor was doing. Someone taking their time wouldn't hold up someone who knew who they were voting for.

 

[momof1princess]

we still use paper ballots. fill in the arrow next to your candidate of choice, feed the ballot into the machine and turn in your black marker and privacy folder...done! took maybe 5 minutes.

my gripe is the line to check-in to vote! the line for A-K was about 3 people long, but the L-Z line was about 40 people long! holy cow! how's THAT for lopsided!

 

[MINILvr]

I've been voting for over 24 years and we have always had some form of electronic machines. It used to be a lever that you would flip and now it is a touch sensitive system. (Not a touch screen but you click the box you want and there are sensors under that)

 

[Minnesota!]

I live in a huge city and we use paper ballots.

We had the option of the ONE electronic machine there...but nobody working the polls knew how to use it. So it sat unused.

I am younger and I don't trust electronic voting So I am A-OK with paper ballots!

 

[Pixiedust34]

I'm surprised that so many places use paper! Ours is touch screen.

 

[Kitty 34]

Ours is paper that you feed into the machine. It does have a privacy folder.

The complaint my DH and I had today was they have changed our voting spot. (We used to go behind a curtain) Now we sit at a table right next to the next person voting with very little privacy sides. If I had really wanted I could have looked right over at what the little old lady next to me was putting down.

 

[phorsenuf]

Just got back from voting. This is my first time voting since we moved to Florida. Of course I just moved to a new county last weekend so that screwed things up a bit. Had to vote on a provisional ballot. It was paper, fill in the oval thingy. If I didn't have to fill out all new paperwork because of the move I would have been in and out under 5 minutes. Not too bad.

 

[minniecarousel]

Paper ballot - mail it in.

I have no idea how they do it at the actual polling places.

 

[ccgirl]

First - why do we still have to use large amounts of paper for the voting process?

Second - I am given a private booth to actually fill in the ballot, but after I have to walk back past the line of people waiting and insert the ballot in the machine. The ballot is two sheets of paper with questions on all sides. There is no way of not exposing at least some of the vote. Then the election judge is standing over the machine watching (instructing) how to insert the ballot. I felt like there was no privacy.

Good thing we do have a paper process. There are still a lot without power in the Northeast so the electricity is still off.

Ours is color in the circle type. One sheet of paper, both sides. We do not have to walk past anybody. We do usually stand in the line to pass the filled out ballot in the machine. There is someone there to ask if you have questions. I didn't see anyone else's vote. But, then again, I wasn't looking. If someone saw mine; no big deal. Although, I felt I had the proper amount of personal space.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

First - why do we still have to use large amounts of paper for the voting process?

Second - I am given a private booth to actually fill in the ballot, but after I have to walk back past the line of people waiting and insert the ballot in the machine. The ballot is two sheets of paper with questions on all sides. There is no way of not exposing at least some of the vote. Then the election judge is standing over the machine watching (instructing) how to insert the ballot. I felt like there was no privacy.

Having paper means your vote is verifiable. With those paperless touch screens, any glitch in the machine be it computer related or more often poll worker error, and poof, anyone that voted on that machine before they found the glitch has their votes go off into oblivion. With the paper forms and one tabulator, there is a verifiable record of our vote for any recounts and we can manually verify any tabulator's accuracy. Any problems with tabulation can be redone. Plus, we can cram far more voting stations into the same sized room because of all the room not taken up by the machines. And it's far cheaper on the state too. So the networks have to wait 15 more minutes until they can call the state. Small price to pay for accuracy and not having 10 hour lines to vote.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

there is a way to check.. a paper comes out the back side like a receipt.. have you seen them?

Ours is electronic too, but no reciept thingy. Maybe there is one that stays inside the machine, but nothing I as the voter got to see. I had to push 2 of the little check marks several times before they registered, too.

 

[SC Minnie]

Ours in an electronic touch screen. No paper anything.

 

[Wendy31]

Our process seems a little too lengthy to me.

1) Walk into the church gym & hand your photo ID to the person sitting at the front table who, in turn, gives you a piece of paper. On this piece of paper, you print your name, sign your name, write down your address, write the date, & check whether you're voting in the primary (dem or rep) or general election. Then, you hand the piece of paper back to the person who checks it for accuracy. (I guess?) This person then points you to one of two tables behind the front table & directs you to the person who is sitting at the section which includes the 1st letter of your last name.

2) At this table, you give the person the piece of paper from the 1st table & show your photo ID again. The person looks for your name in a book. When he/she finds your name, you are directed to sign the book on the blank beside your name. You are given your original piece of paper back & directed to a third table where the ballots are kept.

3) At the third table, you give the person your piece of paper. He/she takes it & puts it in a stack w/ other papers. He/she then gives you a ballot & directs you to sign your name at the top of the ballot. You are then given a folder to go w/ your ballot & directed to an area of tables in the center of the room where voters are voting. There are cardboard partitions set up on the tables.

4) You vote. The ballot is an 8 1/2 x 14" piece of cardstock paper. There are circles besides the candidates' names that you fill in w/ a regular pen - like a multiple choice test!

5) When you are done filling in the circles, you take your ballot up to the ballot machine where you are directed to tear off the top part where you signed your name earlier. After you do this, you slide your ballot into the machine & put the signed portion into a cardboard box.

6) You are now done voting!

And there are no "I Voted!" stickers!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It boggles my mind that the voting process is not standardized across the country.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

It boggles my mind that the voting process is not standardized across the country.

Me too! Now I totally get why elections are so often contested (I still don't like it, but I understand why now....crazy!)

It would be so nice if there was an option to vote online!

 

[Pooh2]

we still use paper ballots. fill in the arrow next to your candidate of choice, feed the ballot into the machine and turn in your black marker and privacy folder...done! took maybe 5 minutes.

my gripe is the line to check-in to vote! the line for A-K was about 3 people long, but the L-Z line was about 40 people long! holy cow! how's THAT for lopsided!

Our A-K was about 10 people. I was in the L-Z line and we had over 100 people!!

 

[sam_gordon]

Our process seems a little too lengthy to me.

1) Walk into the church gym & hand your photo ID to the person sitting at the front table who, in turn, gives you a piece of paper. On this piece of paper, you print your name, sign your name, write down your address, write the date, & check whether you're voting in the primary (dem or rep) or general election. Then, you hand the piece of paper back to the person who checks it for accuracy. (I guess?) This person then points you to one of two tables behind the front table & directs you to the person who is sitting at the section which includes the 1st letter of your last name.

2) At this table, you give the person the piece of paper from the 1st table & show your photo ID again. The person looks for your name in a book. When he/she finds your name, you are directed to sign the book on the blank beside your name. You are given your original piece of paper back & directed to a third table where the ballots are kept.

3) At the third table, you give the person your piece of paper. He/she takes it & puts it in a stack w/ other papers. He/she then gives you a ballot & directs you to sign your name at the top of the ballot. You are then given a folder to go w/ your ballot & directed to an area of tables in the center of the room where voters are voting. There are cardboard partitions set up on the tables.

4) You vote. The ballot is an 8 1/2 x 14" piece of cardstock paper. There are circles besides the candidates' names that you fill in w/ a regular pen - like a multiple choice test!

5) When you are done filling in the circles, you take your ballot up to the ballot machine where you are directed to tear off the top part where you signed your name earlier. After you do this, you slide your ballot into the machine & put the signed portion into a cardboard box.

6) You are now done voting!

And there are no "I Voted!" stickers!

That's nuts!

 

[mom2aandj]

We use the paper fill-in-the-ovals here, and I don't have a problem with that. What I hate is the voting "booths" themselves.

When I was a little girl and went with my mother when she would vote, they had these awesome curtained booths with a huge lever you'd pull. It was totally private and (I thought) totally cool!

By the time I could vote, our area had gone to these flimsy little cardboard dividers:

and today when I went to vote we had gone to some circular type of table that crams 4 voters around it!! It could not feel less private. I felt like the guy next to me was right on top of me. blech!!!

 

[DebbieB]

Today was the first time I voted with the electronic touch screens. Before it was a "booth" with a curtain, you moved levers and then pushed a button to record your votes and open the curtain. I took the first "station" so I didn't walk behind anyone but I thought that someone could walk behind you and see how you voted before you hit the final button. It is much quicker than the old "booths", there were at least 10 stations in the room, where there were only 2 with the old ones.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Southeastern PA - Completely electronic here. The only paper was the one I signed my name on.