Electronic election

Voters in Portland and Redkey will have a new experience when they head to the polls Tuesday.
Gone will be the giant blue poll books for each precinct filled with name after name of registered voters. In their place, will be an iPad mounted on a black stand.
The hope is that the change will streamline the check-in process.
 “It’s a convenience for the voters,” said Monica McCormack, who works in the Jay County clerk’s office. “It’s going to make it go so much smoother at the polling places. It’s huge.”
While the difference will be a big one, the equipment is minimal, amounting to the iPad connected to a wireless hotspot and a printer.
The new technology does not bring any changes for voters in terms of what they’ll need to bring to the polls. They must still have their driver’s license or other photo ID, as they did in previous elections.
But instead of needing to remember a precinct and then have a poll worker search through a book of names, the voter will simply hand over his or her driver’s license. After checking to make sure the picture on the ID matches the voter, the poll worker will then place it in a clear plastic holder to allow the iPad to scan the bar code on the back.
The voter’s name will then pop up on the screen, allowing the poll worker to approve it. The voter will then sign in, and the poll worker will compare that signature to the one on the voter registration card that will appear on the screen.
Finally, the voter must choose which ballot he or she would like — Republican or Democrat (in Redkey, only Democrat will be available because there are no contested races on the Republican side) — and the poll worker will make the selection on the screen. A ticket will then print out for the voter to take to the poll judge, who will select the correct ballot on the electronic voting machine.

Jay County Clerk Ellen Coats expects the check-in process to take less than 30 seconds, and possibly as few as 15, per voter.
Another benefit of the electronic system is that it will quickly tell the poll worker if the voter has already voted or if they are at the wrong precinct. In the case of this year’s municipal elections, it will also denote if the voter is ineligible because he or she lives outside a designated city or town.
“The check-in is so much easier,” said Coats. “There’s not any questions if you’re in the wrong precinct. That’s helpful to the worker and the voter. They don’t have to call us to figure out where they’re supposed to be going.”
And if the scanning system does not work, or if a voter has a military ID or passport, the name can be typed in manually to search for voter information.
In addition to being a time saver, the electronic poll books are expected to save money in the long run.
The $30,000 purchase, which Jay County Council approved in November, will drastically reduce the number of poll workers needed. In a typical countywide election, Coats said she previously employed about 110 poll workers. With the new system, she expects that number to drop below 50.
And at between $110 and $150 per worker, depending on how many precincts are at a site, that could save the county $7,000 or more per election.
This year’s municipal primary election, with only four contested races total in Portland and Redkey, is the perfect time to test the new system, noted the clerk’s office staff.
“I would have been kind of leery of doing it in a (presidential election),” said Coats.
One of the electronic poll books is on display in the clerk’s office for any voter who would like to see it before arriving at the polling place Tuesday.
They have already been using during early voting over the last two weeks.
“We’re very excited about them,” said Coats. “The absentee has been using them, and so far everybody that has come in to vote just absolutely loves them. They have made it so much quicker.”