Nevada Early Voting Piece of Cake...

I just cast my vote at a mall in Las Vegas.  The workers were extemely efficient and even kind of friendly.  The line was only about 6 people deep consistently and the wait was minimal.  There was probably around a total of 40-50 touch screen voting machines.  The navigation was simple and the instructions to use the machines were very intuitive.  After one completes the voting process, a paper trail is generated and displayed to the voter before being stored inside the machine.  All in all, the experience couldn't have been better.

And now I'm freed up to drive a van for ACT on Nov. 2!  

•  Hopefully,...

  ...your vote wasn't then ripped up by some RNC-funded cretin.

  by danielj on Mon Oct 18, 2004 at 01:38:50 PM PDT

•  machines in use?

  Were the 40-50 machines all in use (thus the line was to actually vote), or was the line just to check in?  That is a very impressive number of machines available.

  by CA Pol Junkie on Mon Oct 18, 2004 at 01:52:12 PM PDT

  •  upon reflection,

    maybe i'm exaggerating a little.  (well, maybe a lot...)  in retrospect, i would put the number of machines at closer to 25 rather than 40-50.  

    by Hounds on Tue Oct 19, 2004 at 06:39:34 AM PDT

•  touch-screen voting can be good!

  Lest we forget, one of the main reasons that touch-screen voting has been advocated, is that it really is easier to use than other methods. (The antiquated lever machines here in New York, for example, are bizarre!) Computerized voting machines can be set up to allow voting by vision and hearing impaired people, without compromising their anonymity. No hanging chads, no partially-filled-in scantron circles.

  Critics of many existing systems have been criticizing the lack of a paper trail, NOT the use of computerized interfaces specifically.

  Glad to see that Nevada is so on the ball with their voting schemes! There are a few swing states using paper-backup-less voting machines. And New York will still be using the lever machines that weigh as much as my car!

  by HarlanNY on Mon Oct 18, 2004 at 02:04:47 PM PDT

•  The Receipt is what makes me feel better about it

  I don't mind electronic voting at all... as long as the people making the machines are not clearly major financial supporters of one of the candidates, and there is a receipt to verify that your voted in case of trouble. The fact that both seem to always be an issue across the country is just eating at me as these systems get more established. What company, save one run by people without ethics or standards, would cheerlead for one candidate and refuse to the point of fighting nonpartisan efforts to generate a verifiable paper trail?

  I would have a lot more faith in any Diebold machine if the company had announced, very early on, that executives in the company would be free to vote for whomever they wanted... but that they would not be permitted to donate to any party or candidate to combat any appearance of impropriety... and that the company would do the same in regards to the use of corporate funds... just because it was the right thing to do... not because they were compelled to do it.

  Corporations like Diebold don't seem to realize that the contracts would flow in unabated by political rancor if they just took that stand. They would make tons more money for themselves if everybody trusted them, and I can't see why the nonwingnuts in a company wouldn't at least attempt to point that out.

  by LeftHandedMan on Mon Oct 18, 2004 at 02:19:09 PM PDT

•  Hounds,

  Hounds, I will see you in Vegas on Election day and the weekend before (coming out from Los Angeles)

  by tk421 on Mon Oct 18, 2004 at 04:39:39 PM PDT

  •  nice tk!

    still waiting for my call back confirmation from janos.  he said something about ACT having to pay me for driving the van because for insurance reasons or something.  i'm not sure really...  he woke me up when he called at around 1:00 pm and i wasn't all that clear-headed.  (i keep vegas hours and all...)  anyways, if you run into a van driver who's slightly overweight (dammit!), wearing baggy jeans and a plaid shirt named dave, you'll know it's me...

    by Hounds on Tue Oct 19, 2004 at 06:44:06 AM PDT

    •  Cool

      Cool I will be a nerd in Glasses who thin tall and very awkward :)

      by tk421 on Tue Oct 19, 2004 at 03:36:33 PM PDT