Michelle
11-05-2006, 06:31 PM
Board Of Elections Tests New Voting Systems Ahead Of Election Day (http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=3&aid=64053)
November 05, 2006
Ahead of Tuesday's general election, the Board of Elections tested the newest voting systems Saturday now available at five select sites around the city.
The machines first were first used Primary Day. But Saturday, the Board of Elections gave workers a refresher course to make sure they were up to speed on the new technology.
“We've taken them through an intensive training class, as well as doing these dress rehearsals prior to the election,” said John Ravitz of the NYC Board of Elections.
An ATM-style touch screen is one way voters can choose a candidate.
Voters with disabilities have even more options and now have the opportunity to cast their ballots privately and independently.
For those with impaired vision, a headset and keypad is another alternative. Voters who cannot physically move their hands can get their votes out by using a sip and puff device or rocking paddles for their feet. Once the voter has cast a vote, the machine will print out a hard copy.
"They fold the ballot up and put it into the envelope," said Ravitz, demonstrating.
It will then be counted as absentee ballot because the machines are unable to count votes. On Primary Day, only 580 people citywide used these computers, but Councilman Eric Gioia says the problem was a lack of access.
“My investigation revealed that the Board of Elections actually did a very good but that people could not actually get to the poll site,” said Gioia.
The Board of Elections says they're advertising in newspapers and working with the MTA to get access-a-ride buses to disabled voters.
But the new machines are only being used this election season because the state failed to implement a federal law and find a permanent replacement for all of the old lever machines. By next fall, the new computers must be in place citywide.
The new voting machines are available in all five boroughs. For more information, contact the Board of Elections at (866) 868-3962 or go to www.vote.nyc.ny.us.
To vote using special Ballot Marking Devices or BMDs, voters must go to the Board's Borough Office in their borough of residence.
Board Borough Office Poll sites are open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Tuesday November 7, 2006. The addresses are as follows:
Bronx
1780 Grand Concourse
4th Floor
Bronx, NY 10457
(718) 299-9017
Brooklyn
345 Adams Street
4th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 797-8800
Manhattan
200 Varick Street
10th Floor
New York, NY 10014
(212) 886-2100
Queens
126-06 Queens Blvd.
1st (Main) Floor
Kew Gardens, NY 11215
(718) 730-6730
Staten Island
1 Edgewater Plaza
4th Floor
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 876-0079
November 05, 2006
Ahead of Tuesday's general election, the Board of Elections tested the newest voting systems Saturday now available at five select sites around the city.
The machines first were first used Primary Day. But Saturday, the Board of Elections gave workers a refresher course to make sure they were up to speed on the new technology.
“We've taken them through an intensive training class, as well as doing these dress rehearsals prior to the election,” said John Ravitz of the NYC Board of Elections.
An ATM-style touch screen is one way voters can choose a candidate.
Voters with disabilities have even more options and now have the opportunity to cast their ballots privately and independently.
For those with impaired vision, a headset and keypad is another alternative. Voters who cannot physically move their hands can get their votes out by using a sip and puff device or rocking paddles for their feet. Once the voter has cast a vote, the machine will print out a hard copy.
"They fold the ballot up and put it into the envelope," said Ravitz, demonstrating.
It will then be counted as absentee ballot because the machines are unable to count votes. On Primary Day, only 580 people citywide used these computers, but Councilman Eric Gioia says the problem was a lack of access.
“My investigation revealed that the Board of Elections actually did a very good but that people could not actually get to the poll site,” said Gioia.
The Board of Elections says they're advertising in newspapers and working with the MTA to get access-a-ride buses to disabled voters.
But the new machines are only being used this election season because the state failed to implement a federal law and find a permanent replacement for all of the old lever machines. By next fall, the new computers must be in place citywide.
The new voting machines are available in all five boroughs. For more information, contact the Board of Elections at (866) 868-3962 or go to www.vote.nyc.ny.us.
To vote using special Ballot Marking Devices or BMDs, voters must go to the Board's Borough Office in their borough of residence.
Board Borough Office Poll sites are open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Tuesday November 7, 2006. The addresses are as follows:
Bronx
1780 Grand Concourse
4th Floor
Bronx, NY 10457
(718) 299-9017
Brooklyn
345 Adams Street
4th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 797-8800
Manhattan
200 Varick Street
10th Floor
New York, NY 10014
(212) 886-2100
Queens
126-06 Queens Blvd.
1st (Main) Floor
Kew Gardens, NY 11215
(718) 730-6730
Staten Island
1 Edgewater Plaza
4th Floor
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 876-0079