By Bill Quinn, MSWPeer Advocate
It is Election Day 2008. Like most Americans, I went to the polls to cast my vote for the next president and several other important races. I had done this on previous election days of course. However, I thought this race was going to be a little different.
Dutchess County New York had just received voting machines that were specifically designed for persons with disabilities. So, instead of squeezing my chair into a tiny voting booth like I usually do, I thought I would give the new machine s try. The machine had a computerized screen displaying the ballot and an audible voice that read the ballot aloud to the voter through headphones. Wow! I thought. This should be a lot easier and more private. After all, the curtain in the old voting booth barely covered me. Before I began my new voting experience, I was told by one of the poll workers that I was the first person to use the machine. I was a little concerned but not really troubled by this. After all, I never minded being a trailblazer and I figured someone had to give this thing a shot. After completing the initial tutorial on how to use the machine, I was ready to begin the voting process. I breezed through my selections thinking how much easier and better this accessible voting machine was than the old method.
Once this was done, the machine prompted me to wait a few minutes while the ballot printed. Instead of printing the ballot, the machine flashed a message on the screen saying that it required the assistance of a technician. The same message was repeated audibly over and over again through my headphones. Oh No! I thought. Now What! I promptly got the attention of the poll worker who had helped me to set it up. He called another poll worker to come over but they were both pretty lost. At least 10 minutes went by as they tried to solve the technical difficulty. Meanwhile, my cab driver was waiting to take me home. Several of my coworkers who had come to document my voting experiences were also waiting. The poll workers tried again to fix the printer but to no avail. I was offered a paper ballot but refused. I wanted my vote to count and was fearful that a regular paper ballot filled out by hand would not be counted the same way as conventional ballots. Finally, after quite some time and feeling some frustration, I went to a regular voting booth to cast my ballot the old fashioned way. What a waste of time and energy!
I guess the moral of the story is that accessible voting machines are good and are necessary in order to ensure that Americans with Disabilities are fully enfranchised. However, election officials and poll workers must ensure that the machines work properly and that the people involved know how to deal with technical difficulties as they arise. Otherwise, accessible voting technology will be of little use to those who need it.
