Voting methods and equipment by state
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The types of voting equipment used in the United States vary from state to state. Some jurisdictions use electronic devices to record votes. Others use paper ballots, and others still use neither and vote by mail.[1][2]
Types of voting equipment
The following types of voting equipment were in use in the United States as of February 2018:[1]
- Optical Scan Paper Ballot Systems: Voters mark their votes by filling in an oval, box, or similar shape on a paper ballot. Later, the paper ballots are scanned either at the polling place or at a central location.[1]
- Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Systems: DRE systems employ computers that record votes directly into the computers' memory. These interfaces may incorporate touchscreens, dials, or mechanical buttons. The voter's choices are stored by the computer on a cartridge or hard drive. Some DRE systems are also equipped with a printer, which the voter may use to confirm his or her choices before committing them to the computer's memory. The paper records can be preserved to be tabulated in case of an audit or recount.[1]
- Ballot Marking Devices and Systems: These systems are designed to help disabled voters who might be unable to vote using other methods. Most devices utilize a touchscreen along with audio or other accessibility features. Rather than recording the vote into the computer's memory, the ballot is instead marked on paper and later tabulated manually.
- Punch Card Voting Systems: These devices employ a paper card and a small clipboard device. A voter punches holes in the card to mark his or her vote. The pattern of holes in the card indicates the votes cast. The ballot may then be placed in a box to be tabulated manually or scanned by a computer later.
Additionally, some jurisdictions use paper ballots that are manually counted at the polling place. Other jurisdictions use these paper ballots for absentee or provisional voting.[1]
Voting methods by state
The table below shows what voting equipment was used in each state as of November 2016. Please note that the equipment listed below applies to the voter's experience. For example, in New York state, a voter submits a paper ballot, which in turn is tallied using electronic equipment. For the purposes of the table below, such states are considered paper ballot states.[3]
| Voting equipment usage | |
|---|---|
| State | Equipment used |
| Alabama | Paper ballot |
| Alaska | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Arizona | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Arkansas | Paper and DRE with and without paper trail |
| California | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Colorado | |
| Connecticut | Paper ballot |
| Delaware | DRE without paper trail |
| Florida | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Georgia | DRE without paper trail |
| Hawaii | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Idaho | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Illinois | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Indiana | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Iowa | Paper ballot |
| Kansas | Paper and DRE with and without paper trail |
| Kentucky | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Louisiana | DRE without paper trail |
| Maine | Paper ballot |
| Maryland | Paper ballot |
| Massachusetts | Paper ballot |
| Michigan | Paper ballot |
| Minnesota | Paper ballot |
| Mississippi | Paper and DRE with and without paper trail |
| Missouri | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Montana | Paper ballot |
| Nebraska | Paper ballot |
| Nevada | DRE with paper trail |
| New Hampshire | Paper ballot |
| New Jersey | DRE without paper trail |
| New Mexico | Paper ballot |
| New York | Paper ballot |
| North Carolina | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| North Dakota | Paper ballot |
| Ohio | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Oklahoma | Paper ballot |
| Oregon | |
| Pennsylvania | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Rhode Island | Paper ballot |
| South Carolina | DRE without paper trail |
| South Dakota | Paper ballot |
| Tennessee | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Texas | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Utah | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Vermont | Paper ballot |
| Virginia | Paper and DRE without paper trail |
| Washington | |
| Washington D.C. | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| West Virginia | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Wisconsin | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Wyoming | Paper and DRE with paper trail |
| Source: Verified Voting, "The Verifier - Polling Place Equipment - Current," accessed February 2, 2018 | |
Noteworthy events
2018
Pennsylvania
- See also: Voting in Pennsylvania
On February 9, 2018, Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres issued a directive to county election officials stipulating that all voting equipment purchased thereafter provide for a paper record of all votes cast. The directive did not mandate that counties obtain new equipment, but it did establish specifications for new equipment that counties could purchase should they opt to replace their existing voting systems. In a press release, Torres said, "This directive will ensure that the next generation of the commonwealth’s voting systems conforms to enhanced standards of resiliency, auditability and security. The current voting equipment in counties works and can be audited. But new voting machines with paper ballots or voter-verifiable paper backup will improve auditability and augment security."[4][5]
According to the Associated Press, the budget proposal submitted by Governor Tom Wolf (D) did not "include any new money to help counties replacing their aging systems." Marybeth Kuznik, the founder and executive director of VotePA, a group that opposes paperless voting systems, praised the directive but said, "The General Assembly needs to step up to the plate and budget for this." According to Verified Voting, as of November 2016, Pennsylvania was one of seven states in which both paper ballot and direct recording electronic (DRE) systems without paper trails were used. The other six states were Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. For more information about the voting equipment used in the United States, see this article.[4][5][6]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms voting machine. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Verified Voting, "Voting Equipment in the United States"
- National Convention of State Legislatures, "Elections Technlogy: Nine Things Legislators May Want to Know"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Verified Voting, "Voting Equipment in the United States," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "America's Voting Machines at Risk," accessed October 8, 2015
- ↑ Verified Voting, "The Verifier - Polling Place Equipment - Current," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pennsylvania Pressroom, "Wolf Administration Directs that New Voting Systems in the Commonwealth Provide Paper Record," February 9, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Associated Press, "Pennsylvania to require voting machines with paper backup," February 9, 2018
- ↑ Verified Voting, "The Verifier - Polling Place Equipment - November 2018," accessed February 14, 2018
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