[Blindtlk] voting experience

[Gary Wunder]

I would like to toss in my two cents about the voting experience I had last
Tuesday. When I arrived, the machine was ready, I was asked if I wished to
use it, was taken to the chair in front of it, given a set of headphones,
asked if I needed instructions, and left alone. It helped that our county
sent out the ballot ahead of time, so I was not required to thoroughly read
over the ballot as would have been the case were this my first viewing. The
machines we have in Boone County Missouri use a recorded voice provided by
the machine manufacturer for instructions and prompts, and a recorded voice
provided by the county for contestants and ballot issues. The process took
longer than it would have if there had been some provision for adjusting the
speed of the audio presented. I also admit to having to review the
instructions, since I use the machine in frequently enough that some review
always seems prudent to me.

I enjoyed being able to cast my vote without the assistance of a second
person, but I don't think there is any way for me to argue that the machine
let me do it as efficiently as using a reader of my choice. Some of you may
remember that before we pressed for accessible voting machines, we first had
to secure the right to take a person of our choosing to the polls. I still
think this is a fine option, and had there been much of a line for the
electronic voting machine (only one of them talked at my polling location),
I suspect I would have used my daughter or my mother-in-law and would've
felt confident my vote was cast as I dictated.

Warmly,

Gary