Four different methods of voting are currently being utilized in the State of West Virginia. Over the past ten years counties have been gradually moving to new systems. With the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) the state was provided financial assistance in purchasing new voting systems. Use the links or scroll down to learn more about the four systems and which counties will now be using those systems on Election Day and view an on-line demonstration.
AutoMARK Paper Direct Recording with|
Optional Scan
Ballots Berkeley Important: Optical Scan Ballot Information. Please Read
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An optical scan ballot is a specially
designed paper ballot which is marked by the voter with a special
pencil, then tallied by a computer "reader". The layout is very
similar to the standardized tests given in school, the voter darkens
an oval next to a candidate’s name in order to enter a vote. With the help of HAVA all of the precincts in these counties will also have a HAVA Compliant Direct Recording unit with paper trail. These units are equipped with an audio ballot available along with braille buttons for use in maneuvering through the ballot and making selections. These units will enable voters who have visual impairments to vote unassisted for the first time. In the 2000 General Election, the optical scan system was the most popular voting system, adopted by 28 counties and used by more that 270,000 voters in that election, about 41% of the total who voted. We now have 20 counties utilizing the Optical Scan ballot.
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Paper Ballots Used in: Braxton |
Paper Ballots are still marked with an
"x" to select the preferred candidate and then counted at the
polling place by a team of five election officials called a
"Counting Board". With the help of HAVA all of the precincts in these counties will also have a HAVA Complaint Direct Recording unit with a paper trail. These units are equipped with an audio ballot along with braille buttons for use in maneuvering through the ballot and making selects. These units will enable voters who have a visual impairment to vote unassisted for the first time. Many counties with the assistance from HAVA have moved to electronic systems.
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AutoMARK Used in: Lewis Important: Optical Scan Ballot Information. Please Read
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The AutoMARK was an option given to
the counties in order to meet their obligations under the Help
America Vote Act. Three counties chose this option as their means of
compliance. One county decided to utilize this voting system for
early voting. This voting system actually uses the Optical Scan ballot. The voter inserts the ballot into the machine and uses the AutoMARK touch screen to make his/her choices; when the voter is finished, the unit then marks the ballot for the voter and the voter retrieves his/her ballot and places it in a ballot box. Voters in these counties will also have the option of utilizing an optical scan ballot. An Optical Scan Ballot is a specially designed paper ballot which is marked by the voter with a special pencil, then tallied by a computer "reader". The layout is very similar to the standardized tests given in school, the voter darkens an oval next to a candidate’s name in order to enter a vote.
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Direct Recording with
Paper Trail Used in: Hancock |
The Help America Vote Act required
that all voting precincts have one visually impaired accessible
voting booth. This important act makes it possible for a visually
impaired voter to vote in privacy for the first time by providing an
audio ballot. The voter then makes his/her choices using by pressing
a specific braille button. Thirty-three counties in West Virginia decided to replace their existing voting method with the iVotronic Touch screen with Paper Trail. Therefore, not only will each precinct have a HAVA Compliant voting terminal but it will also have voting terminals that are similar to the HAVA Compliant terminals – these voting terminals are very similar to the HAVA Compliant system but with one difference – no audio ballot. The iVotronic allows the voter to select a candidate or issue by "touching" the screen. The technology is similar to what is used in an ATM. The system then prints the selections on the attached printer for review by the voter. Each machine is equipped with specific instructions to guide the voter through the voting process.
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