“Things went very well”. That’s how Ivan Young, assistant to Suffolk County Board of Election Commissioners, described the County’s experience with the new voting machines. Young stated “we had a good experience yesterday and unlike some other areas, our polling locations opened on time and with the exception of one minor incident, which involved a twenty minute down time, we had no problems.”
Even though things went well. For some people change is difficult and there are those who will always prefer the older lever machines. But that is not an option for New York which mandated the use of new machines in the 2005 New York State Election Reform Modernization Act. The use of lever machines was banned after 2007. The county was forced into compliance by 2010.
Suffolk County BOE took steps to ensure a smooth transition into the new machines. Election workers were trained. Political parties and organizations like the League of Women Voters orchestrated training for their members and the public giving them the opportunity to learn how to use the machine prior to Election Day. The BOE also surveyed all the polling facilities and evaluated the sites for their ability to accommodate the machines and the public.
Each polling area was equipped with an “Ask Ed” device that lists every registered voter in Suffolk County. This electronic device allows polling officials to determine whether or not a person is registered and if they have a party affiliation. If a person is not located on the “Ask Ed” device, the person can fill out an affidavit vote and the legitimacy of the vote is determined at a later date. For those who have special needs and are unable to use the new machines, a ballot marking device is available at every location.
Closing up the new machines takes a slightly longer than the lever machines because the process is more involved. But even with the additional work required, 95% of the vote tallies were called in to the Board of Elections by 10:30 pm while in other counties they were still counting the votes.
All of this is to ensure that every one who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to vote. Suffolk County is ready for the November elections.