The Vigo County Clerk's Office set up a booth with a mock election including the new technologies at the Vigo County Fair in order for citizens to try the machines.
"It's very similar to the old machine; it's just a newer technology," said Elizabeth Stiverson, administrative assistant for the clerk's office.
"It is a little bit easier to select on here," she said. "I know some people complained that they had issues selecting [candidates] on the last one. It's just newer, sleeker and more secure. We are always trying to stay as up-to-date as possible ... to keep the elections as secure as possible."
The pole worker will look the voter up and can scan the driver's license or look up name and birth date. Once this step is complete, they will receive a ticket with a barcode on it, opposed to a ticket with a number as in years past.
"This is just a newer technology, but it's the same voter system registration that it's connected to," Stiverson said. "The judge will still scan the ticket, and the barcode that prints will have the person's pre-synced information. That way, the proper ballot for that particular voter will load."
These machines are not, nor have they ever been connected, to the internet.
"One of the biggest differences comparing newer machines to the older machines is that they're faster," said Cody Kiefling, deputy clerk. "We are able to get them up and going quicker and we're able to resolve issues if they were to come up faster."
The new screens are significantly larger and allow for larger print as well, making the voting process easier for those who have troubled eyesight.
The signature pad is much more sensitive and voters can now sign their names easier and feel more confident that their signature is being recorded properly.
The voting process goes through rigorous amounts of security checks from both the state and the clerk's office.
For more information on voting in Vigo County, visit www.everyvotevigocounty.com.
© 2021 The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Ind.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
