CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Voters in one Charlotte precinct used new voting equipment in Tuesday’s election.
The new machines print out a paper copy showing a voter’s choices so the selections can be reviewed before the ballot is cast.
The county elections director, Michael Dickerson, said the county is considering buying the new machines for use across the county but needed to test them first during a real election.
Dickerson said the machines performed well.
"Outstanding, just what we expected," he said.
Dickerson said voters who used the new machines did not seem to have difficulties or issues understanding how they worked.
"I didn’t hear any negative comments about the equipment from voters. They appreciated it, liked it, and they were proud of the fact they were testing it," he said.
When using the new machines, a voter first inserts a paper card into a touch screen ballot marker.
The voter makes their choices using the touch screen. When the voter is finished, the machine spits the card out so the voter can review their choices.
Once satisfied with their choices, the voter walks the ballot over to a reader and inserts the ballot. The reader then confirms the votes are cast and retains the ballot in the event a hand recount is needed.
The county is expecting to pay some $10 million to $15 million to buy the machines and get them ready for the North Carolina primary next March.