BY PAUL KAMPE
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Springfield Township voters will see something new this year when they hit the polls: the AutoMARK voting machine which will help disabled voters cast their ballots.
The federal government granted the township five of these machines, recently received, in accordance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002. It also received eight M-100 ballot-tabulating machines. Between both types of machines, Strole estimated they total in value at $100,000.
Election Systems and Software, headquartered in Omaha, Neb., produced the machines.
The device features a touch screen, an audio component that reads the ballot to voters and a ‘sip and puff? breathing device input to aid voters using that apparatus. The machine features a multi-directional Braille enhanced control pad that users can choose in combination with the synchronized voice system built into the AutoMARK.
‘It’s fairly simple to use,? Clerk Nancy Strole said.
AutoMARK makes the choices permanent at the end of the process, taking just seconds to imprint selections onto a ballot. After marking, the ballots are placed in the M-100 tabulators at the end of the line.
The M-100 might look new to many voters this August, having debuted in the May school elections. It is compatible with the new machines and is a replacement for previous tabulators. The M-100 features L.E.D. readout to inform voters of any errors that occur when their ballot is being recorded.
The AutoMARK runs on a flash card similar to those found in digital cameras, coded for individual precincts to operate the machine.
‘This is certainly very helpful,? Strole said. However, she noticed a flaw in the system. The machine will only let users pick one political party in the August 8 primary elections while rendering the user unaware of the entire ballot.
‘The ballot is hidden in this piece of equipment,? she said. ‘It’s simply not that user friendly in that regard.?
She said that should not be an issue in the November general election because voters will be allowed to vote with a split ticket, voting for members of separate political parties.