General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEarly voted today in Arkansas.
Dressed all in blue and was standing at the Courthouse door when it opened at 8:00. There were about two dozen people there to vote as soon as they could.
The Congressional election here is a lost cause but there are some hotly contested local elections in light red county. It's amazing how quickly you can vote when all you look for it the "D."
I was impressed with new voting machines that produce a printed ballot which is scanned for totals with the hard copies maintained for any recount etc. I thought them pretty high-speed for a small rural Arkansas county.
Arkansas Granny
(31,535 posts)TomSlick
(11,118 posts)backtoblue
(11,346 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)They record the vote and keep the actual ballot in a locked compartment. Plus, they notify you on the spot that your vote has been recorded.
I know that the "voting hacks" trolls will find fault with scanners, but they, IMO, are the most reliable and verifiable voting machines.
TomSlick
(11,118 posts)I take a lot of comfort from the fact printed ballots are retained. The County Clerk here is a smart cookie and wouldn't have bought these if they weren't secure and reliable.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)They let you know instantly if there is a problem with your ballot(stray Mark, ect), allowing you to get another ballot and fix the problem on the spot.
TomSlick
(11,118 posts)You insert a ballot form into a machine. When you finish voting, it goes through all your votes on a screen for you to verify. It then prints a completed ballot which you can check for accuracy (I needed my reading specs). There is no chance for stray marks, etc. You then insert the completed ballot into the scanner which stores the ballot.
I was impressed. If my poor rural county can afford such a system, why can't everywhere else?
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)colsohlibgal
(5,275 posts)First time but I will vote early every time from now on. One great thing was there were democrats outside he entrance with printed material on which judges and commissioners were democrats since no designation is on the ballot by law....which is screwed up.
I really, really hope we take the House back, and at least get closer in the Senate for now.
TomSlick
(11,118 posts)There are a handful of us standing there every time waiting for the doors to open. That way it's done and dusted - you never know what's going to blow up tomorrow.