Aug 24, 2007
Redding
League, registrars are sponsoring
program on new voting technology
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by JANE ROSS
No more voting booths and lever machines for Connecticut! On Election Day, Nov. 6, voters will use paper ballots, felt-tipped markers and new optical scanning machines. Come for a demonstration of the new technology and methods at Redding’s Community Center on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
At the Sept. 11 workshop, co-sponsored by the town’s registrars of voters and the Redding League of Women Voters, a voter will learn what to do on Election Day.
“It may not be difficult, but it sure is different,” said Town Clerk Michelle Grande, who, along with all election workers, has been trained in the changed technology. The league’s mission is to help insure that all voting citizens also understand the changes involved.
Designed to meet new voting regulations that require a paper trail for all votes cast, the new system has been successfully used by several New England states in recent years. Registrars Margi Esten and Elizabeth Furrer will demonstrate the voting process and will answer questions from the audience.
Where do I fill out the ballot? How will my privacy be protected? What if I make a mistake? What if it is hard for me to use a pen? What if I want to vote for a candidate not on the ballot? All of these questions and more will be addressed. Audience members will be able to fill out a mock ballot, cast a mock vote and see the scanner gulp it down, or (not, it is hoped) spit it out — and then learn what to do.
The workshop initiative has been developed by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut Education Fund in cooperation with the Office of the Secretary of the State and the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut. As an organization dedicated to voter education and participation, the Redding League invites all interested citizens to come to the Community Center on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m., and to remember 9/11 in a way that promotes democracy and its precious values.
Jane Ross is president of the Redding League of Women Voters.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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