Understanding How to Use a Voting Machine can be a challenge, since there is truly no real standard for the equipment nationwide! The types of machines you encounter on Voting day, can even differ within your state, and what a family member uses in one town 5 miles away, can be different than you are using in your own town.
Before we get started on how to vote, it is very important to understand that Voting is a right we have all earned as Citizens of the USA, and aside from the Presidential Election every 4 years including 2008, there are many local issues you will find when you enter the voting booth as well.
At the bottom of this page, there are links to several resources you can visit, that will break down the issues in your own state and county. If nothing more, spend 5 minutes to see what lies in front of you on November 4th, 2008, Election Day!
What is a Voting Machine?
Simply put, and used in many different forms, a voting machine can be something as simple as a slip of paper you fill out, all the way to a complex computer system, designed to organize the choices on a Ballot. The equipment, whether paper, mechanical, or electronic, then records and tabulates the overall votes and they are stored to provide an audit trail.
Types of Voting Machines
As previously mentioned, there are numerous types of voting machines you may face this election year! Listed below are the most common.
Paper Ballot
Used mostly in smaller districts where the population does not require, or the district cannot afford the more expensive equipment, these are simple sheets of paper like you used to use for school tests (depending on your age I guess) where you color in the dots!
The paper ballots will be segmented into the different races you are casting a vote on, and they are easily completed in less than 5 minutes. After you complete the ballot, it is placed into a secured box, and counted after the polls close that night.
Punch Card Machines
If you were around for the election of 2000, you clearly recall the election debacle in the state of Florida, where we all learned the meaning of a Hanging Chad.
Punch card voting machines work by inserting a small punch card into inside the machine. From the voters view, all you see are the questions on the ballot, with small holes next to the areas you cast your vote. As you slide the stylus into the hole, it punches a hole in the corresponding spot on the card itself.
Once you have voted, the process varies from area to area, but in all cases, your voter ballot will be placed into a secure box, to be counted later that evening. The variances to this method will depend on whether your district allows YOU to carry the ballot to the table, or a representative volunteer of the district.
Mechanical Voting Machines
Along with the paper recorded systems mentioned above, you may run across one of the older, mechanical voting machines when you vote next week. These are slowly being worked out of the system and are currently used in very few areas, in light of the advances in electronic voting machines mentioned further down this page.
Even though these behemoth machines can look daunting, once you step inside and the curtain closes behind you, it becomes perfectly clear what you need to do! There is a list of ballot questions on the left side that you will be voting on. You cast your vote by selecting the persons name, or the yes/no answer next to your choice and depressing the small lever. When you have made all your voting choices, you slide the large lever on the bottom to the right, and your vote is counted!
Electronic Voting Systems
With technological advances in computing, there is no reason we should not be able to from anywhere! The big drawback of course, is the issue of fraud... and thus we have to stick with electronic Voting Machines for now.
In North Carolina, where I am at, we will be using the iVoltronic Voting System, and the state has provided a nice little tutorial on how to use this machine for us to review before we walk in.
Most common however, is the Diebold Electronic Ballot system you see pictured to the left, and if you have found your way to this page to read about How to Use a Voting Machine, you will have no trouble using the system!
Its actually very simple... the machine is reset and ready to accept your vote when directed by the volunteer working in your district. You walk up and read it just like any other computer screen, make your selections, and when you have finished,you simply touch the "Cast my Vote" button at the bottom of the screen.
Exercise your Right to Vote in 2008
Regardless of the type of voting system in place where you live, it is a given right to vote. Whether you are 18 years old or 80 years old, having the ability to cast your choices is the foundation of the Democracy we live in. On your way out of the building... make sure you get your "I Voted" sticker, and proudly display it all day long, reminding others to do the same thing!
Research the Voting Machines Used in your Area
As mentioned several times, the various machines used to tabulate the votes, varies from state to state, and even city to city. The links below will help you drill into your specific city, and see the exact type of voting machine you can expect to face on election day!
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Additional Resources:
