More than 50 people got practical instructions on using electronic voting machines in Oneonta on Friday, an official in one of the demonstrations said.
Representatives from Catskill Center of Independence and the Otsego County Board of Elections were demonstrating how to use an electronic voting machine at Plains at Parish Homestead on Friday afternoon.
A similar demonstration took place at Elm Park United Methodist Church that morning with the Board of Elections working with the county Office for the Aging.
The session was planned to help the public with last year's switch from lever machines to optical scanners, county Deputy Commissioner Lori Lehenbauer said. While there was much work done last year, it is an ongoing effort that has been very successful, she said.
Taking advantage of the chance to learn was Parish resident Joanne McMillion. "It seemed simple enough," she said after marking a paper ballot and running it through the scanner. "I think I will be able to do it," she said.
The Catskill Center representatives were on hand as part of an effort to help people with disabilities learn to use a feature of the machines. Help America Vote Act Project Director Helen Benlisa said when the legislation was passed in 2002 to help those with disabilities vote, it also provided funding for her work. It includes protection and advocacy for voter access for those with handicaps.
"The machines allow people with a range of physical disabilities to access the vote privately and independently," she said.
It does that through the Ballot Marking Device that is opposite the optical scanner at each site.
It includes headphones so those who are blind or have learning disabilities, including dyslexia, can vote. There are also handheld controllers and a "sip and puff" device to help voters with mobility impairments make a selection.
There is a sleeve so those using that method can still have a secret ballot when it is scanned, said disability rights advocate Joshua King.
"It may take a little more time," he said. "But it allows more people to get out and exercise their right to vote."
Local News
Elections officials demonstrate new machines
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Memorial Day hours
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Saying goodbye hurts most when the experience has been worthwhile
This is my last Reporter's Notebook column for The Daily Star.
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Memorial Day events: Chenango County
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Memorial Day events: Otsego County
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