County gets new voting machines

County gets new voting machines

Election equipment expected to speed up voting process

news@theeveningtimes.com

New election equipment will be rolled out for the fall election. Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 22, and a slate of three new electronic devices have been programmed to help voters make their choices.

Voters will note some positive changes. Voting goes much faster which was expected to knock down waiting time at the larger polling places. The accuracy of voter information

Photo by John Rech should improve The big old blue voter books have been replaced by a tablet online with the county clerk for up to the minute information on voter registration, voter addresses, and the corresponding correct polling place.

Election Coordinator Mike Farrah talked up the equipment ahead of time to minimize fears among those that hate change. He has toured the state meeting with other coordinators and heard a lot of positive feedback.

“We will have an up tick in the speed of voting, fewer long lines and fewer bottle necks at the polling places,” said Farrah. “The Jackson County election coordinator said its nothing short of wonderful. If our voters and candidates will agree, I will be thrilled.”

The voting booth, called Express Vote, displayed a simple well lit touch screen to mark ballot choices. Voters simply insert the ballot, mark choices and receive their marked paper ballot.

“I’d describe this as a magic marker,” said Farrah. “Its the same thing as sitting down at a table in an old fashioned privacy booth with a pencil.”

Next, each voter inserts the completed ballot into the electronic ballot box.

The process is simplified for the poll workers too. The ballot box, called a DS 200, was programed to tabulate the votes and records it onto a thumb drive in a locked compartment.

“I’ll have a poll worker manning it,” said Farrah. “This is where you actually vote, when you put your ballot in the tabulator.”

At the end of voting poll workers simply pull the drive and seal it into a pouch and deliver it to the election coordinator for voting return tabulation.

The County Election Coordinator showed off the new equipment with a walk through of a mock ballot. All the equipment has been tested and found accurate.

“There will be at least one of these at every polling place, but bigger locations like the Civic Center and Lehr Arena will have three or four,” said Farrah. “With the West Memphis mayor race there will be multiple equipment at those polls.”

Recent national elections have drawn ire from critics about potential for hackers to alter votes and outcomes. Farrah said the vote will not be shuttled by the Internet. The tabulator and the voting booth are off-line. Poll workers handle only a plug-in flash drive.

“These are absolutely not connected to wi-fi, blue tooth, no Ethernet, no Internet connectivity at all,” said Farrah. “

When you check in, the poll workers check ID but there are no votes on the tablet. The tablets talk to each other around the county, but they are simply a poll book and contain no votes.”

This allows the poll workers to make a smart update at the beginning of the day for up to date information reflecting voter changes. It provided real-time information updates during the primary election.

Those lawfully registered must prove their identity to vote. Acceptable voter identification included Arkansas Driver’s license or state identification, US passport, state or federal employee picture ID, Arkansas concealed carry permit, a free voter ID card issued by the county clerk, employee or student ID issued by an accredited post-secondary educational institution located in Arkansas.

The new voting equipment expense was shared between the state and the county with Arkansas picking up the lion’s share of the $571, 255 investment. The state forked out $263,821 for the new voting equipment matched by the county at $257,434. Farrah expected the ruggedly encased equipment and the new technology to help local voters vote in the next four presidential races. “I expect it will last more than 16 years,” said Farrah.

Photo by John Rech

By John Rech