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When in-person early voting starts later this month, Palm Beach County voters will find electronic touch-screen machines called Express Vote, which a listener has some concerns with as addressed in a Brian Mudd Q and A earlier this week.
Mary Frie tells us about some concerns stemming from 2 years ago when she was a pollworker who saw several of those Express Vote machines instead of rows of privacy booths.
"I since have spoken to other people and I know that I'm not the only person that just doesn't feel comfortable going to a touch screen machine that we don't really know much about."
We took her concerns to Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link.
"First of all the Express Vote is a ballot-marking device. It allows you to select your ballot and then print the paper ballot. The other question that we hear sometimes is, "Oh, it's electronic tabulating." It doesn't. There is no tabulation. There is no memory in that machine. Once it prints your ballot it doesn't have any idea what you just voted."
She says the paper ballots get inserted into the same tabulators that accept the larger oval ballots that Mary prefers.
Link claims any voter can simply ask to have one of the older-style ballots printed out and they will find at least two privacy booths to fill in that ballot.
The Express Vote machines were previously on hand to a lesser extent for those with disabilites but are now available for everybody.
"But I just think that every single taxpayer in Palm Beach County needs to question, how much are these machines and why are they being used?
Link says the initial machines cost just over $3,300 each to purchase and then they had to buy more later at a cost of $3,600.
The Supervisor says they're safe, secure and allow you to vote faster.
"Our goal here is to keep the line moving as quickly as we can. We don't want any voter to not be able to vote because they just couldn't stand in line so long. And so our goal is to get you in, give you the opportunity to vote as fast as you can, but giving you the choice to vote using either form of ballot that you prefer."
There are several more concerns of Mary's that Link responds to as well. Hear more in the audio players above.
On the Supervisor of Elections website, this message can be found at the ExpressVote Program link from the "Voters" section:
We are proud to utilize the most cutting-edge technology, equipment, and best practices available that increase voter confidence and accessibility for all voters. That’s why ExpressVote equipment will now be used by every eligible voter during Early Voting.
Used for several years in Florida and historically reserved for voters with disabilities or needing assistance, the ExpressVote Voting System has been used by election officials with incredible success in several states across the country. The paper-based ExpressVote combines touchscreen ballot marking technology with an integrated thermal printer to produce a paper record for tabulation. The ExpressVote saves time, reduces marking errors, and lowers costs. Additionally, ExpressVote’s innovative design is ADA-friendly and provides audio and visual guides for multiple languages.
Voters who choose to vote in person at an Early Voting location during the Special Election will benefit from the ease of use and extra security ExpressVote offers, including greater efficiency, reliability, and security.
