Maryland voters will now have paper ballots they can review before finally submitting them this election season, and the Hagerstown races will be nonpartisan, the director of the Washington County Election Board said. State officials decided in 2007 to return to paper balloting, once the state had the funding available, so there will be a voter-verifiable paper trail, according to Washington County Election Director Kaye Robucci and the State Board of Elections’ website. If voters participate in early voting, they will use a machine with a touchscreen to select their choices, but that machine will print out a paper ballot that allows voters to review their choices before submitting the ballot officially, Robucci said.
On Election Day, voters will be provided paper ballots so they can blacken ovals to mark their choices, Robucci said. The paper ballots allow for voters to write-in candidates. Voters can request to use the touchscreen on Election Day, she said. The primary is April 26 and the general election is Nov. 8.
In both cases, for early voting and voting on Election Day, the paper ballots will be slid into a machine to be securely stored, Robucci said.
The primary election date was changed for this year, moving it from the first Tuesday of April to the fourth Tuesday, so that early voting wouldn’t fall during Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Robucci said.
Full Article: Paper ballots among changes this election year in Md. – Herald Mail Media: Local News.