One thing that bothers me on election day is to see voters standing in line, waiting to be checked in. Most of them work, and their time is limited. With paper pollbooks, it often takes time to go through the pages and find the person. They also waste even more time filling out a slip that is given to the clerk so their names can be entered.
An e-pollbook makes it much easier to sign in a voter. It means less time standing in line, wondering why things take so long. One Lehigh County voter has told me she does not like the way her signature looks on an e-pollbook, but that seems to be a minor complaint.
For election workers, an e-pollbook would be far more efficient. If a voter who belongs somewhere else comes to vote, it takes time to determine where that person should be voting. An e-pollbook will provide an answer. It will also alert election officials if that person has already voted somewhere else. When a person signs in, he or she is automatically logged onto the list of voters. This eliminates the need for a clerk.
E-pollbooks, which look like iPads, were considered in NorCo a few years ago. The idea was rejected as too costly. Now Northampton and every other county has been state-mandated to purchase new voting machines that provide a paper trail. This means the county is going to be spending a lot of money. It might be able to negotiate a better deal if e-pollbooks are included.
But are they worth the expense? What is your experience in Lehigh? On a day like Tuesday, I imagine the lines were still long. But was it faster? If you went to the wrong polling place, did a voting official tell you where you belonged? Is this a good use of taxpayer dollars?
17 comments:
You are very critical of the county. If you can do better, run for office and make things right. You hold yourself out as a genius. You make fun of officeholders and you praise some. It seems you have a list like the old president Nixon. You have a list you love and a list you hate. Why not do something useful instead of spreading your hate. I commend people who serve all you do is mock people.
I voted in Lehigh County with the e-books. Had to sign twice because my wrist "was in the wrong place" according to the poll worker. She said it like it was a common problem. Wasn't busy when I voted, so no problem, but if a lot of people have that problem when it is busy, I'm not sure these are going to save any time.
I'm Northampton County. Didn't have any problem or wait using paper and pencil. I sign in at Quest Diagnostics on a computer and its a pain in the arse. Still there 30 minutes last two times in October. IT WASN"T BUSY. Two people ahead. One already giving blood. I want to hear more before any switch.
4:20 AM, you need to re-check your bearings. Facilitating a discussion in order to improve things for the citizens of the county, as Bernie is doing here, does not require being an office-holder. He is not even attacking anyone, including the county, in this posting. What he is doing here is what ALL citizens should be doing: discussing, listening, debating and then informing their elected officials how they feel.
Bethlehem Ward 10 in Lehigh County with iPads. It was smooth and my signature was easy to compare when they spun it to collect my signature. With finger, not stylus. Comparable to Square payment stations.
i appreciate the three comments I have received from LC voters thus far. Keep 'em coming. If this helps the voter, I am sure Lamont McClure will seriously consider. If it does not, or only helps the election worker, it is not worth it.
Elections should be done using paper, and paper only. Eliminate the non-audit-able machines we use today! Paper for the poll books and ballots cannot be hacked.
I voted in Lower Macungie Township. The technology was good. I believe, during peak times, the electronics will save time. I, however, did not have to wait. What I DIDN'T like is that I didn't know what number voter I was. And, I believe this is more procedure than anything, nobody checked my ID, which I had in hand.
We are no allowed to request ID unless it is first time voting or first time voting in that district.
No problem in Northampton County. Had to wait because of line after sign in to vote not because of signing in. e-book would not have decreased time at poll. Comparing signatures does prevent voter fraud.
In North Whitehall 1 they used the new e-poll books but we still had to write the paper slip.
I believe this is the reason for the long wait in my area, not the high turnout.
It bottle-necked inside due to workers not being comfortable using the e-poll books and there were only 2. A new voter was questioned about her signature because it didn't precisely match the image. She was lectured about not changing her signature which I thought was a little silly.
Additionally, it wasn't communicated that voters could use either line. In the past there were three lines in alphabetical order.
I do think that if the workers were more comfortable and/or there were more e-poll books available it would have been more effective. My name, date of birth and photo were on my e-voter profile. I thought that was helpful.
Keep a close watch on what is now happening in Florida. Many thousands of "votes" are now being "found" making the recent election down there suspect of widespread FRAUD.
Probably time to come-up with several adjustments to our system of voting.
What is happening in Fl has nothing to do with this thread.
Filled out the paper, badly scribbled my name on the pad, voted, 15 minutes. Four lines waiting for pads, each about 15 people deep and continuous. Precinct 220104 10:00 AM
Pad was easy to use in Salisbury. Only problem was if the poll worker signed the person in with their driver's license, it took a little longer because you had to hold it just right for it to scan as apposed to just having them look up your name.
Maybe one day, Northampton County can be as great as Lehigh County. As President Trump is doing for the nation, Ron Angle could have helped us in making our county great again.
Anyone asked for their SSN when using the tablet? Someone told me that they were asked for it, said last 4 digits appeared on tablet. Wasn't asked myself, nor did I take notice. Only noticed that my signature, if they were looking for a match, didn't come close electronically, so not sure what good that is. Also didn't notice type of tablet, whether or not it had a camera built-in. I'm old school, give me paper ballots, no electronics, certainly no need for internet access. Seems to work fine for the rest of the world.
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