Taking glitches out of new voting system

After a rocky Sept. 14 dress rehearsal, area election officials say they are taking steps to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible with a new electronic voting system when voters go to the polls Tuesday.

The September primary brought a variety of problems in Nassau and New York City, even with light voter turnout. But much higher numbers of voters are expected in Tuesday's general election. It will mark the first real test for the new voting machines that require voters to mark paper ballots, and then insert them into a scanner.

The new system, mandated by federal law, finally ends a century-old tradition of relying on mechanical booths in which voters pulled down metal tabs to choose candidates. New York was the last state to adopt computerized voting.

William Biamonte, Democratic elections commissioner in Nassau County, predicted that the number of voters Tuesday is "going to be five or six times higher" than in the primary.

Lessons learned

 Biamonte said the problems encountered last month have led to a series of steps ranging from voter education to demonstration sessions to retraining of poll workers.

Anita Katz, Democratic elections commissioner in Suffolk, said the board also has taken steps to address any problems, noting that extra personnel were added for the primary. "We'll do the same for the general election," she said.

An Oct. 19 report by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that there were only two problems reported in Suffolk County in the primary, both involving the new voting system.

In New York City, where problems drew the most public attention and criticism, officials say they have implemented a series of changes to, among other things, ensure that the needed equipment is actually delivered to the polling places on time.

Valerie Vazquez, spokeswoman for the city Board of Elections, acknowledged that some polling places didn't open on time for primary voting because equipment and supplies were delivered too late. Also, some poll workers never showed up.

Tackling the problems

Last Tuesday, the city election board voted 6-0 to fire its executive director George Gonzalez, apparently in belated response to the primary election problems. There also have been concerns over instructions for filling in ovals on the paper ballots for Tuesday's election; the board has said it will provide voters with additional information.

In Nassau, Biamonte pointed to improvements made since the primary. "We feel we've done a lot," he said, noting that voter demonstrations were held at Roosevelt Field and other sites. "That all being said, we are still anticipating problems," he said.

The retraining of poll workers, considered a key element, includes videos and DVDs to provide a step-by-step walk-through of the scanning and other functions.

Biamonte said the county also will have a group of standby inspectors ready to be deployed to any site where problems arise.

During the primary, many of the problems in Nassau centered on the scanning process and included jamming of the paper ballots after they were filled out by voters. "We were overwhelmed with problems in the primary," Biamonte said.

John Conklin, spokesman for the state Board of Elections, said it appeared that the problems encountered in the primary were not with the new voting system itself, but with the training of workers. He said the ongoing retraining sessions should address those issues.

Girding for errors, delays

Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice, which has focused on the voting problems in New York City, said it appears many of the problems encountered in the primary are being addressed, but warned that with greater turnout "any snafus are likely to have a ripple effect."

Neal Rosenstein of New York Public Interest Research Group warned that voters should be prepared for glitches and resulting delays. "There are definitely going to be some problems," he said. "Hopefully they won't be too severe."

Norden noted that one problem has not been addressed. That involves what happens when a voter inadvertently marks down votes for too many candidates in the same race.

He said the new system does not make it clear to voters that if they do over-vote, their votes in that race may be voided. He said voters who get any message other than "your vote has been recorded," or an equivalent, should immediately ask for help to correct their ballot.

HOW TO USE THE NEW VOTING MACHINES

CHECK IN. Go to the polling place where you are registered to vote, give your name to the elections inspector and sign the poll roster book. You will be given a paper ballot, a special ballot-marking pen and a privacy sleeve for the ballot. In Suffolk, you will also be given an election district card (there is no card in Nassau) before entering a privacy booth.

MARK YOUR VOTE. Using only the special pen provided, completely fill in the blank oval (blank box in Suffolk) next to your choice. Do not make stray marks or use an "X" or a check mark. Note that the ballot might be printed on both sides.

USE THE SLEEVE. Place your ballot in the privacy sleeve. Do not roll up or fold the ballot. Take your ballot-containing privacy sleeve to the voting machine for your election district.

SCAN YOUR VOTE. Insert the ballot into the voting machine, which automatically pulls in your ballot from the privacy sleeve and scan your vote. Press the "Cast Ballot" button on the device screen. (In Suffolk, press the "Cast" button on the machine.) Your ballot will automatically drop into a secure locked box.

CONFIRM YOUR VOTE. Wait for the screen to show whether your vote has been recorded successfully. Return the privacy sleeve to a poll inspector.

SOURCE: NYS Board of Elections