An upcoming special election in Southampton will give residents a chance to try out new touchscreen voting machines being considered by the county to replace its fleet of 2,700 tabulators. The Suffolk Board of Elections (BOE) is looking to choose between two companies certified by the state in time for the general election in November.
The reaction was positive from those trying out a machine supplied by ES&S at the VFW in Westhampton, among a handful of sites set up for voters to familiarize themselves with the new technology. “It's easy; you just touch the screen to make your choices,” remarked Quogue resident Melvin Heller, who appreciated the privacy afforded by the “old fashioned” black curtains surrounding the booth. “It was very clear; I wish we had these years ago, “ said another practice voter, Robert Dudley of Eastport.
After inserting a sheet with their election district number, the voters were presented with their choices. Like making an order at a restaurant kiosk, they chose their candidates by tapping the screen. There were ample opportunities to go back and change their minds, and over-voting—the ability to pick more than one candidate in the same race as with paper ballots—was eliminated. They were also given the ability to write in a candidate’s name. Once satisfied, the voters hit a flashing “Cast your ballot” button to finalize their choices, which were then printed on the election district sheet.
After the polls close in the upcoming election, a contest for an open town board seat, the BOE will follow its usual procedure. Computer thumb drives from each machine will be sealed in a special silver bag and brought to BOE headquarters in Yaphank for the final tabulation. Unlike other areas of the country, Suffolk’s system provides unofficial results a few hours after the polls close. In tight, contested races, the paper records can be hand counted, noted Betty Manzella, one of the county’s two election commissioners.
For additional voter security, the ES&S machines are not connected to the Internet and have no Bluetooth capability. The voting kiosks are handicapped accessible and can walk those who are visually impaired through the ballot using headphones and a handheld device, according to Ingrid Giordano, an ES&S rep who was putting the VFW voters through their paces. The Omaha-based company is in competition with the only other vendor, Dominion Voting Systems of Toronto, approved by the state Board of Elections. The county has also performed a dry run with the Dominion system.
Suffolk’s $27 million investment in new machines will replace the ballot tabulators the BOE has been using for nearly 15 years. Aside from jamming and other malfunctions, the system required the printing of a massive amount of blank ballots, enough to cover every registered voter regardless if they show up, a drawback that the touch screen process would eliminate. “The current machines are aging out,” Manzella noted. “They need to be replaced.” Both systems under consideration by the county produce paper records, a state requirement.
The Board of Elections is looking to make its final decision on the new machines in June and expects to have them in place countywide for the November Election, Manzella said. They will also be made available at Suffolk’s new voting and education center at its headquarters in Yaphank, though it hasn’t been decided yet if they will be available to school and fire districts for their elections. Next on the BOE’s agenda is a new system to manage its voter rolls.