Goodbye, unwieldy manual signature roster books. Hello, tablets. Under a pilot project being implemented by Pima County in the Nov. 5 Vail incorporation election, voters who go to the polls will be able to use a mobile computer that’s smaller than a laptop to sign for their ballots. … The polling places also will no longer use precinct-based scanning equipment. Instead, voters will drop their ballots into a secure box that is under observation at all times by poll workers and then securely transported to a central tabulating facility at the Elections Office located at 6550 S. Country Club Road. Independent observers will continue to oversee the process and results will be audited.
Elections Director Brad Nelson said with Pima County soon forced to replace its aging elections system, it doesn’t make a great deal of sense to invest in costly new precinct-based equipment when most voters are now casting their votes through the mail. “This will be a chance to see how the equipment performs and whether this is the direction we’d like to move in,” he said.
Voters with disabilities also will be able to vote privately and independently on a touch-screen tablet device. The machine will print a paper ballot that will allow the voter to compare against the screen and will be used for auditing purposes.
Full Article: Elections catching up with technology: Changes piloted in November – Pima County News.