Optical scan voting system

Wheatfield resident Leatta Broeker gets some assistance from Mike Carney, Republican deputy commissioner from the Niagara County Board of Elections, learning about the new voting machines. The county set up the machines at the Wheatfield Community Center on Tuesday so voters could give the new system a try. First step, as usual, is signing in as a registered voter. Voters receive a bar-coded paper ballot, privacy folder, marker, and, if needed, a magnifier. They then go to privacy screen areas to fill in the voting oval next to the candidate's name of their choice. When the ballot is complete, they move to the optical scanner and feed in the ballot. The machine alerts the voter if an error has been made on the ballot. Unlike with the old machines, if the voter has made a mistake, he can return the ballot to the sign-in table to receive a fresh ballot. The voter then hits the green "cast" button to cast their vote. (photos by Susan Mikula Campbell)