Did You Vote This Week?

Here in Washington we held primary elections on Tuesday. Most people vote by mail these days, and in many counties it is mandatory. Clay and I enjoy going to the polls together though and will probably continue to do so as long as it is an option.

Federal laws now mandate that handicapped voters be provided some accommodation for accessible voting. In King County that means a new machine, called the Accessible Voting Unit (AVU). This is a photo of the unit which was available beginning in May. Tuesday was the first time Clay and I have seen the new unit.

The AVU makes it easier for people with limited sight to vote without assistance. Clay gave the unit a try when filling his ballot. Basically it employs touch screen technology. Or, if you preferred, you could choose to use audio. That takes extra time though, and if you have enough sight to see the touch screen that works great. They had options for making the text larger and changing to a higher contrast screen.

At the end of the process the machine prints a record of your vote, which you can review and then finalize. Clay thought it worked pretty well. His only suggestions were that the method provided for reviewing the paper included only a single flat magnifier and he would have preferred better magnification for that and perhaps a light as your body casts a shadow as you bend over to look at it.

So how did Clay fill a ballot before the new machine? Slowly, with his own magnifier in hand. If the ballot was lengthy he might get a backache from bending over the caroll provided.

For anyone who would like to know more about the new unit there is information here.