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

[Kaye Kipp]

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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