New Hope Rolling Out More Accessible Voting Equipment
The next time New Hope residents do their civic duty of voting in the August primary, they will have the opportunity to use a new piece of equipment.
The city has eight new ExpressVote voting machines for each of their precincts, and one backup.
While anyone can use the machines, they are specifically designed to assist those who need extra help casting a ballot.
“The buttons are large so you don’t have to be so precise as you would with circling the oval,” said New Hope City Clerk Andrea Phinney.
The ExpressVote voting machine replaces the city’s old digital system.
That system generally required assistance of an election judge.
This one is more user-friendly.
“In theory, anyway that you might need help, it can provide,” said Phinney.
Phinney said the new machine features a brighter, more legible screen with adjustable contrast, while keeping the features that were appreciated in the previous system.
The ExpressVote system features a touch screen to make selections.
For example, just like the old machine, this new machine comes with headphones.
Using the headphones, voting instructions and choices can be heard.
“I’m excited because I do find it so simple to use. I know when we first started doing training, it was like ‘That’s it? That’s great,'” said Phinney.
Ballot Boxes Won’t be Replaced
One thing the new system won’t do is count or keep a record of your vote.
Voters will still need to deposit their printed ballots into a traditional ballot box.
Phinney knows the change might be intimidating, so help will be on stand-by.
“Election judges are still available to get them started, just because walking up to it maybe be like, ‘I don’t know what this is?'” she said.
With this upgrade and people there to help, Phinney hopes the right to vote is an easier reality for everyone, regardless of their physical ability.
“Our goal is to remove any possible barriers and to try and think through and account for anything that might be preventing someone from voting,” said Phinney.
