Minnesota often leads the nation in voter turnout, but isn’t always on the cutting edge of voting technology. One company wants to change that by convincing lawmakers touch screen voting is the wave of the future. “The Express Vote (machine) is an assisted voting device that can also be used by other voters as well,” said Mike Hoversten of Election Systems and Software. He points out that one machine can be used by voters of all abilities. The Express Vote machine eventually produces a paper ballot, but it’s smaller than the size of the ballot required by state law that is commonly used now. A change in state law would be required for counties to consider using the machine. State Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, a former Minnesota Secretary of State, said such a change is unlikely, at least for now. “Because you have a uniform paper ballot and that is equal treatment of all voters, that’s really important,” Kiffmeyer told 5 Eyewitness News.
Minnesota uses paper ballots where voters fill in ovals and then put them in an optical scanning machine. Kiffmeyer said that system has worked well for a long time and has become a national model.
“Minnesota voters really like the fact that there’s a paper ballot in a recount,” Kiffmeyer said. “You know the machine can be trusted only so far.”
But Express Vote gets the vote of the National Federation of the Blind as an easy-to-use system for visually impaired people because it can be used with a touch pad and headphones.
Full Article: New Push to Change Voting Technology in Minnesota | KSTP.com.