Voted yesterday! About voting machines.

[Raine1967]

I live in Alexandria. We had a slate of 14 city council candidates, of which we were asked to choose 6. All were qualified, so it was a difficult choice.

Yesterday was interesting, when my husband and I got to the polling place, we were told that we would have paper ballots. I was all, *wha??* This was totally unique for me. A paper ballot?

I've lived here in Virginia for a little under three years and when I got here, I found the state employed click wheel voting machines for elections. As with all of these E-vote machines, I wasn't comfortable, but I thought they were better than the machines we were given when I lived in Atlanta, which were Diebold. Please understand that until 2006, I had spent my entire life in NYS. Until then, all I ever knew were lever machines.

So, back to voting yesterday --- I got a sheet of paper in a folder, sat down and filled in the boxes with a pen. Then I took it over to a scanner. Fed it into the machine and I was done. It was the most fun I have had voting in a long time. I really love voting-- I'm truly a nerd that way.

I have to say that yesterday I haven't felt more comfortable in casting my vote since my days in NY. To me this paper/scanner combination seems like the most secure approach to voting from a "preventing shenanigans" point of view that I've used to this point. I hope they keep it. I also hope that this isn't just a city thing and that it becomes the norm.

[shcrane71]

1. Those scanners don't always tally correctly. The only way to force a hand count

in many places is if the vote is within a percentage point. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see how easily an election can be stolen. Sad isn't it?

[Raine1967]

2. Exactly.

That was why I felt a lot more comfortable knowing that there was a piece of paper that --if needed -- could be used for a hand count.

It was a primary, and aside from voting for my Congressperson we only had city council members to choose from, but it was just nice knowing that there is a real paper back up. I hope this is the new norm.

[shcrane71]

3. I completely agree that paper ballots are necessary. After the WI Recall,

I have little faith in the optical scanners any longer. The majority of voters in WI use optical scanners.

[eek MD]

4. I voted republican for the first time in my life.....

Before 'ya send through a TOS alert on me, I accidentally went to the wrong table at my precinct, and ended up with a list of Republican Senate Primary candidates in front of me on the touchscreen, instead of the local Democratic congressional primary candidates.

I voted for the smarmy tea party guy in the hopes that George "macaca" Allen wouldn't get nominated. I guess it didn't work though.

[beac]

5. LOL.

At my polling place in every general election there is ALWAYS someone from the GOP handing out "voting guides" just 3.5 inches away from the "no electioneering beyond this point" line. Alas, I live in a reddish section of my county, so I've never seen the Dems waste time trying to distribute similar guides.

Being a bit if a smartass, especially on election day when my blood is up, I always take a guide from the GOPer and then make sure to thank him after I emerge from voting for the assistance in "knowing who to NOT to vote for!"

I do return the guide to him (and it's always a him) so I haven't made them waste a guide, but the spluttering indignation as I return it is amazingly enjoyable!