The next time voters in Jefferson County go to the polls, they’ll use a pen to cast their ballot, the first indication of Louisville’s new voting system. The Jefferson County Clerk’s office spent more than $3 million this year on 700 new machines. “This is about voter integrity,” said James Young, co-director of the Jefferson County Election Center. “It’s about ensuring the best technology is available for the voters.” The County Clerk’s office plans to roll out the new machines at every polling location in Louisville, completely eliminating its old fleet. “Our neighboring state, Virginia, just de-certified equipment we had in this county for nearly 20 years,” Young said. Writing in pen instead of pencil is new, along with the machines those ballots will be counted on, but Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw is was quick to point out that there will still be paper ballots. “There will always be a paper trail,” she said.
Holsclaw said the county’s older machines often malfunctioned or broke down, and parts became hard to find. “You get questions of, ‘Did my vote actually count?'” Young said.
Holsclaw wanted an update to the system but not a purely electronic one, adding that paper doesn’t get hacked, and it doesn’t get viruses. “I don’t trust the internet when it comes to voting,” she said. “Any of the problems found in voting has had to do with the internet.”
The county purchased 350 new vote tabulators called the DS 200. They look like big black recycling bins with a video display monitor that confirm when a paper ballot has been cast. There are also 350 ExpressVote electronic machines. Young said they are primarily for people with special needs, including visually impaired voters who need audio prompts.
Full Article: 700 new voting machines will change how Louisville ballots are c – WDRB 41 Louisville News.