Public Employee Press

Political Action 2010
New voting machines for 2010

On Sept. 14, voters in New York State will enter the computer era - starting, however, with pen and paper.

People who vote will cast their ballots in a new way, by marking and scanning a paper ballot.

Gone are the clunky red-levered machines and in their place are sleek, computerized scanners that will record voters' choices in less than five seconds.

The new way to vote is simple: You sign in at the polling place and get your paper ballot, which is printed in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean. In privacy, you completely fill in the ovals next to the candidates you choose.

Magnifiers will be provided for people who cannot read the small print, and Interpreters and poll workers will be available on site to help.

Machines that talk

DO NOT make an "X," circle or check mark for your choice, as the scanner will reject these. Scanners will also reject ballots that are folded or creased.

You feed your ballot into the scanner and if you have done everything right, the screen will show an American flag and say, "Your vote has been counted."

The DC 37 Political Action Committee organized three sessions at union headquarters to familiarize members with the new voting process. One was held Aug. 12 and the others will be at 6 p.m. on Sept. 9 and Oct. 14 at DC 37, 125 Barclay St. in Lower Manhattan.

New York is the last state to adopt the new voting method. The change is required by the Help America Vote Act, a federal law enacted after George W. Bush won the presidency in the questionable 2000 election that was decided by the Supreme Court.

For more information on voting, go to the New York City Board of Elections Web site at www.vote.nyc.ny.us or call 1-866-VOTE-NYC.

The DC 37 PAC also urges all who can volunteer to help get out the vote on Primary Day, Tuesday, Sept. 14 to call 212-815-1550.