While Fayette

County has fewer voting stations overall than they have had in the past,

local election officials are not expecting longer-than-usual waiting lines.

Voter turnout is expected to be in the 50 percent range. Fayette County

expects to purchase additional machines prior to the presidential election,

which traditionally has a much higher turnout.

Returning voters

will not notice any difference in procedures until the end of the normal

sign-in process. Rather than receiving a paper ballot, voters will be

given a voter access card, which looks like a credit card. The card does

not contain any personal information and is used simply to access and

display the ballot at any of the open voting stations.

Voters will

have more freedom in some regards than they have in the past. Those who

have some difficulty reading smaller print can request an access card

that brings up a large print screen magnifying the ballot 40 percent.

Additionally,

there will be one ADA-configured unit in each precinct. A special access

card permits the use of headphones, allowing visually impaired individuals

to vote without assistance. The unit will have a keypad to enable access

for individuals with unique requirements.

The access

card is inserted into the voting station to display the ballot. Votes

are cast by touching the screen. The screen does not allow the voter to

select more than one candidate in any given race. Once a selection is

made, the "X" next to other names vanishes. However, if a mistake

is made, simply touching the name of the candidate voted for in error

"erases" the vote and allows the voter to make the correct selection.

Each race is

on its own "page." After voting in all races, a summary page

is displayed showing all votes cast and all races skipped or "under-voted."

The voter is given the opportunity at that point to go back and make any

corrections or to vote in missed races.

Once the "Cast

Ballot" button on the summary screen is touched, the vote is final

and cannot be changed. The access card is turned in after voting to be

re-programmed. Once a card has been used it cannot be used again until

it is programmed.

According to

county elections director Carolyn Combs, every registered voter will be

mailed a flyer with voting instructions for the new electronic system.

A demo electronic booth is set up at the Fayette County Board of Elections

and is available for a demonstration during normal working hours. Funds

were also allotted by the state to hire a Voter Education Coordinator

to demonstrate the new system at the local level.

Chasity Manning,

Fayette County's coordinator, can be reached at 770-716-2585 or 404-432-8586

or via email, [email protected]. The Secretary of State has provided

an online tutorial, using a mouse rather than a touch screen, at https://www.georgiacounts.com/.

Instruction flyers are also available at the Fayette County Board of Elections.