From paper ballots to the optical scan voting

Florida is changing the way we vote once again! There was the antiquated punch-card and stylus system of 2000. We all know how that worked out.

Then there were the electronic touch-screen machines of 2004, which too many people simply didn’t trust. The paperless system left nothing tangible to recount in a close election.Now in 2008 we have something new, the ES&S DS 200 the optical scan voting machine. The manufacturers of the ES&S DS200 and the Miami Dade County want you to believe that it is as siple as 1, 2, 3, & 4

1. Step One: Receive ballot from poll worker.
2. Step Two: Mark your selections. For every contest, make the selection of your choice with the approved marking device provided. It is very important that you mark your ballot properly. For write-in candidates, fill in the oval next to the words “Write In” and write the candidate’s name on the line.
3. Step Three: Insert your ballot into the ES&S DS200 Digital Image Scanner.The intElect DS200 will accept ballots in any orientation (backward, upside down, etc.).
4. Final Step: Review the screen. Check the display screen to see whether there are any issues with the ballot such as overvoting, undervoting, and blank ballots. Press “Return” on the touch screen to get the ballot back to make changes. If you’d like to override the on-screen message and submit your ballot as-is, select “Accept” on the touch screen.

The display screen will notify you when your ballot has been cast successfully.

How to Mark a Ballot Correctly.
It is important that you mark your ballot properly before inserting it into the ES&S DS200 Digital Image Scanner to ensure that your vote choices are counted correctly. Mark your ballot by completely darkening the oval next to your choice. Do not use an “X” or other notation. Use only the approved marking device provided by election officials or found in the voting booth.

If you make a mistake in marking your ballot, please ask the election officials for a replacement ballot. Do not fold your ballot before inserting it into the ballot acceptor. If you have any questions regarding your ballot, please ask an election official for clarification before depositing your ballot into the DS200.

Darkening in the oval completely is the key. The good news: Voters don’t have to bring their own pens.

Lengthy ballots will be double-sided, and the voting machines don’t signal a problem unless both sides of a page are blank. That means voters might skip an entire side without realizing it.

Watch a step-by-step video on how the new voting system works at the Miami Dade County’s website. Click here.

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