I just returned from early voting and used a new e-voting machine. Once I was cleared to vote, I was given a small plastic brick that I entered into the machine that looked like a giant Venus fly trap. Once the screen came up, I was greeted with a very clear, large text voting ballot. As I glanced to the bottom of the screen, my 'ballot' would cover twelve screens. The touch screen was responsive, the text large and clear. As I voted, a paper record of my choices was being printed behind a small plastic cover to my left.
Overall, the voting was quick, smooth, and intuitive…for a computer guy. I can see where electronic voting for the non-techies of the world may be a little intimidating and not as intuitive. My polling place (a mall) had many volunteer helpers for folks who have questions.
As I exited the polling area, a woman was handing out "I voted" stickers. I asked if I could dip my finger in purple ink instead. She looked at me like I was the dumbest guy on the planet and even after I said, "Iraq, Afghanistan?", she still looked at me with a blank stare. Geesh, I hope she's one of our non-voting citizens.
