As a rule, people do not like change. And in the past it's proven hard enough to get people out to vote -- this year could be a challenge if they feel intimidated by the new voting machines. The good news, folks, is that the new machine is a piece of cake. Most folks are only going to have to use the one machine, the Scanner. Basically, you'll get your ballot, mark it with a pen, and slide it through the scanner. If you fill out the ballot properly, you'll be out of there in a few minutes. The other machine, the Ballot Marking Machine is only used by those who need assistance to fill out the ballot.
On Tuesday, August 31st, residents of Woodhaven gathered at the Ambulance Corps to get a demonstration of the new machines. The demonstration was performed by the Board of Elections and sponsored by Sen. Joe Addabbo.
The folks from the BOE ran through a variety of scenarios, but they were all pretty self-explanatory. We were working with mock ballots (see below) -- again, you can fill your ballot out by hand, or by using the ballot marking machine. The ballot marking machine has a variety of tools designed to help those with disabilities.
The residents got in line and voted for their favorite ice creams, best pizza toppings, etc. Many of the attendees were poll workers and they had a lot of questions.
Here is a video of our visit with the Board of Education, along with an explanation of the new voting procedures:
The general feeling was that it was a simple process and shouldn't be a problem at all.
Here, Assemblyman Mike Miller tries out the scanner.
These sheets should explain all that you need to know about th new procedures -- visit the NY State Board of Elections Website if you have any further questions.
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com .
