[nfbwatlk] Oregon looks to iPad to make voting easier for thosewith disabilities, The Oregonian, November 7 2011

Fri Nov 11 04:30:14 UTC 2011

You know: many of us justify our use of accessible voting machines by citing
the ability to cast a secret, independent ballot. Yet for the first part of
our history, voting was often done by moving to different sides of a room or
by voice vote (as in a small town) and the first written ballots were
literally written by hands. They weren't printed by state or local
governments or the Federal government. As eligibility to vote was extended
to people other than white males who owned property, the practical effect of
requiring written ballots was to screen out those who were illiterate, i.e.,
racial minorities and immigrants -- very convenient. The various political
parties got around this by printing their own ballots which often looked
like tickets. Hence, the phrase "he ran on the party ticket". Someone who
was only marginally illiterate could mark his ballot (no women votes until
1920) and turn it in.

But the "secret" ballots we know today actually weren't invented here but
rather in Australia in the 1850's. In fact, government-printed ballots
filled out in private voting booths were originally called "Australian
ballots".

My point was that, for the first part of our history, it was considered
faintly shady to insist upon casting a secret ballot; the general consensus
was that people ought to be man enough (as I say, no women until 1920) to
cast a public vote.

So much for a history lesson.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kaye Kipp
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 9:25 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Oregon looks to iPad to make voting easier for
thosewith disabilities, The Oregonian, November 7 2011

I love the accessible voting machine.  It works great.

Kaye
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leslie Fitzpatrick" <lfitz50 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 7:38 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Oregon looks to iPad to make voting easier for 
thosewith disabilities, The Oregonian, November 7 2011

>I think the accessible voting machines work great.
> I use them all the time I am so glad we have them We never got them in 
> Oklahoma but we sure got promises though.On Nov 9, 2011, at 10:28 AM, 
> Nightingale, Noel wrote:
>
>>
>> Link:
>>
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/11/oregon_turns_to_ipad_to
_make_v.html
>>
>> Text:
>> Oregon looks to iPad to make voting easier for those with disabilities
>> November 07, 2011
>> By Ryan Kost, The Oregonian
>>
>> Photo by Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
>> Lewis Crew, 75, receives help from a member of an assistance team while 
>> voting on a iPad, in Beaverton, Ore. Using an iPad, disabled voters will 
>> be able to call up the right ballot and tap the screen to pick a 
>> candidate.
>>
>> Oregon elections officials are turning to iPads in a new attempt to make 
>> voting as easy and accessible as possible for disabled voters.
>>
>> In a small pilot program playing out during the special primary election 
>> to replace former U.S. Rep. David Wu, about 12 voters have filled out 
>> their ballots on Apple's touch-screen tablet.
>>
>> As far as elections officials in Oregon can tell, it's a first for any 
>> state.
>>
>> "We're really at the edge," said Secretary of State Kate Brown. "We want 
>> to make voting as convenient as possible."
>>
>> It's been about five years since the office has invested in a new system 
>> for voters with disabilities -- a lifetime when it comes to technology. 
>> So, with the system nearing the end of its life, the office decided to 
>> experiment with new approaches, including laptops and various tablet 
>> computers.
>>
>> "It became very clear, very quickly, the iPad was the best solution," 
>> said Steve Trout, the state's elections director.
>>
>> The iPad, Trout says, offers a huge amount of flexibility. For those who 
>> have issues with vision, the iPad can read the ballot aloud. They also 
>> have the option of adjusting text size and colors. Voters can sign with 
>> their fingers or with pens, whichever suits their needs. And the tablet 
>> can be controlled using sip-and-puff wands for those who don't have full 
>> use of their hands.
>>
>> After voters make their selections, they can print a ballot, which they 
>> put in an envelope and sign as usual.
>>
>> Elections officials have taken the new system to assisted living centers 
>> during the primary, along with a portable printer the size of a suitcase.

>> So far, the results have been promising.
>>
>> The tools the state has been relying on for the past five years, Brown 
>> said, include heavily modified laptop computers that are "extremely 
>> cumbersome and outdated."
>>
>> Julie Anderson, an attorney with Disability Rights Oregon, isn't so sure 
>> the iPad will make the portable systems all that much more convenient. 
>> There's still the matter of the printer and some other equipment, she 
>> said.
>>
>> "I'm a little leery that this is going to increase access," Anderson 
>> said. "The issue is not the weight or the bulk" so much has having the 
>> resources to get people out into the communities.
>>
>> Still, she added, "I applaud any county's efforts to get out there" and 
>> if the iPads help that, then all the better.
>>
>> For the first go around, each of the five counties that make up a piece 
>> of the 1st Congressional District have one iPad, all of which were 
>> donated by Apple, Trout said. The state invested $75,000 to develop the 
>> voting software, with guidance from community advocates. Those funds came

>> from federal grants.
>>
>> The counties will use the iPads again for the special general election in

>> January. After that, officials will review the new system. If they press 
>> forward, Trout said, he'd like to see two tablets in each county, which 
>> would set the state back $36,000 at full cost.
>>
>> Even so, that's a bargain given that Oregon spent $325,000 during the 
>> last biennium to keep the current system up to date, he said. "It's just 
>> easier and simpler both for the voter and the county elections 
>> officials."
>>
>>
>> -- Ryan Kost
>>
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