I'm a Paper Ballot
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
When voters go to the primary polls on September 14, they will use New York's new paper ballots for the first time. WNYC's Brian Lehrer and Azi Paybarah recently took the new ballot for a test drive.
When voters go to the primary polls on Tuesday, they will use New York's new paper ballots for the first time. WNYC's Brian Lehrer and Azi Paybarah recently took the new ballot for a test drive.
Comments [6]
Bob, in Brian's show today (http://beta.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2010/sep/13/ballot-box/, 2nd part, w/Jessica Hewitt), it sounded like the machine tells you you've undervoted & gives you the choice to either submit the ballot as is or add more votes.
What happens if you don't want to vote in a particular category (for example, if you don't know any of the judicial candidates, county committee candidates, etc)? Will the machine let your "undervote" as long as you do it intentionally?
The ballot counting screen in the last shot says "ice cream". In such elections I fear there are too many delicious candidates to choose just one. No wonder Brian over-voted.
Brian Lehrer may not trust the “electronic, machine, marking device thing” properly known as a Ballot Marking Device or BMD, but it helps people with disabilities who would not be able to mark a paper ballot with a pen and people who have trouble seeing small print. That seems worth mentioning. It also prevents people from making the over-vote mistake Lehrer made in the video, and that seems worth mentioning also.
Rima McCoy
Voting Rights Coordinator
Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY)
Brian Lehrer may not trust the “electronic, machine, marking device thing” properly known as a Ballot Marking Device or BMD, but it helps people with disabilities who would not be able to mark a paper ballot with a pen and people who have trouble seeing small print. That seems worth mentioning. It also prevents people from making the over-vote mistake Lehrer made in the video, and that seems worth mentioning also.
Rima McCoy
Voting Rights Coordinator
Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY)
Brilliant!
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