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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Thank you, Jonathan. That is the kind of response we like. No, of course we don’t like the problems you ran into but you did a nice job of describing to us what did happen. Your remarks will reach the Secretary of State’s Office complaint line. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Thank you for sharing this with us.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Bob<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font face=Calibri><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Tall-Corn <tall-corn-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>iceje89--- via Tall-Corn<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 30, 2024 9:30 PM<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> 'NFB of Iowa Internet Mailing List' <tall-corn@nfbnet.org><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> iceje89@gmail.com<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Tall-Corn] Voting In Iowa<o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Bob:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>I voted today. It was not pretty, but it got done. Please feel free to share this with whomever is involved in charting the experiences of blind voters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Since I moved to a new residence on 22 October I didn’t want to risk going to the polls on 5 November and being turned away because of questions of my residential status. My wife and I went to the Linn County auditor’s office, arriving around 2:00. I filled out and signed my absentee voter form and was issued a ballot for the “ExpressVote” (an oxymoron if there ever was one) machine. I was guided to said machine and a nearby worker got it set up for my use in very short order.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>When I got to the state legislature races I noted that my former state rep (Sami Scheetz) was one of the candidates. I deduced (correctly) that I was voting in the wrong precinct, so I noted the nearby official. She proceeded to try to cancel my first voting session and start a new one, but got locked out of the loop and the closure attempt froze. A higher official got it fixed and I proceeded to vote the proper ballot for my new precinct. When I got to the review at the end I noted that I had not voted in several of the judicial retention races (my error), so I tried to back into the live ballot again. I seemed locked into the summary (left arrow was supposed to get me back to the live ballot, but that didn’t work), so I asked for help. I had been using a blacked out screen up to this point, but the official couldn’t tell what was going on without opening the screen again, so I did. She was able to get me to the place I needed to go to, and I proceeded to finish my ballot. As a result of the two snafus I was at the polls for over an hour, but I did get the ballot posted, and presumably it will be counted on 5 November.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>This was no travesty, but neither was it smooth sailing. Just more adventures of a blind person exercising his franchise to vote.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Jonathan Ice<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Cedar Rapids, IA<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font face=Calibri><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Tall-Corn <<a href="mailto:tall-corn-bounces@nfbnet.org">tall-corn-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Bob Ray via Tall-Corn<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Saturday, October 26, 2024 3:15 PM<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <a href="mailto:tall-corn@nfbnet.org">tall-corn@nfbnet.org</a><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> <a href="mailto:bray@nfbi.org">bray@nfbi.org</a><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Tall-Corn] Voting In Iowa<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Importance:</span></b> High<o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>We should remind people about a few things now that we are coming into the voting season here in Iowa.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>First, nothing has changed since the last time that we voted except at we were told at State Convention a few more counties have changed to a different accessible voting machine. The most widely used machines of a few years ago are no longer being supported. There are only three counties using the Automark system that many of us really liked. Many others are using one of three other systems that all have strong points and weak ones.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Here are some general comments for you to think about since we have heard from people who did early voting and experienced the same problems they did in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>The system that Polk County and several other counties uses is probably the most widely used one at this point. It doesn’t have too many problems but as we mentioned at convention and at least one person has experienced in early voting the screen may be durned off while you are casting your ballot. There is a switch right on the screen, I don’t know exactly where but it is on the front of the monitor as I recall to do this. That is thee to be used that it is available. The machines does have instructions that may play before you cast your vote. This gives you the opportunity the procedures to handle normal operation. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Remember, if problems arise while you are voting and you need help ask for it. If the help you receive doesn’t meet your expectations you need to report this to your County Auditor and to the voter hotline at the Secretary Of State’s Office on election day itself. They will both need to know when and where the problem occurred. It is helpful if you let one of us from our Legislative Committee know too since we work with the hotlines both at the state level and the national level. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Problems may be solved if we have record of them and they are documented. Yes, there will always be some problems because we are dealing with people and some things are going to happen that are not going to be possible to plan in advance. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>There has not been as much opportunity this year for early voting because of the changes in the law last year. Election day itself is going to be an exciting experience. Yes, each county has had more training for pol workers than they have in the past but remember that most of the people that you deal with on election Day volunteers and some are going to understand all of the ins and outs of what they are doing better than others. That means that the more you know going into the polling place the less likely you are to have problems. Hopefully you won’t have too many things that are unexpected.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Bob Ray, NFBI<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Legislative Committee Chair<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Aptos><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p></div></body></html>