By Sam Dolgin-Gardner, NSNS Staff Writer
CHICAGO—More than 2,000 college students recruited by People for the
American Way acted as Polling Place Administrators in Chicago's recent
municipal elections. Recruited for their tech-savvy and natural
affinity for computers, electronics, and gadgets, the students assisted
election judges by setting up electronic voting machines,
troubleshooting problems with the machines, and tabulating votes at the
end of the day.
Chicago introduced electronic voting last year, using equipment
manufactured by Sequoia Voting Systems. Chicago's voters are given a
choice of marking a paper ballot that is then read and recorded by an
optical scanner (like an SAT answer sheet), or using a touch-screen
computer that prints a paper record of each voter's ballot. Several
hundred students were trained to provide voter assistance at the point
that electronic machines were introduced. Their performance convinced
election officials to recruit thousands more for the recent election.
Despite the new technology, Chicago's elections ran smoothly. Students
were able to assist confused judges and voters, helping the oldest
right of the republic enter the modern age. |
