# Analysis shows touchscreen voting machines are faulty.  What can we do?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/analysis-shows-touchscreen-voting-machines-are-faulty-what-can-we-do/256256>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 21, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/analysis-shows-touchscreen-voting-machines-are-faulty-what-can-we-do/256256 "2004-07-21T22:30:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/analysis-shows-touchscreen-voting-machines-are-faulty-what-can-we-do/256256/21 "2004-07-25T19:46:40Z")

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> [@MaceMan](#):
>
> I’ve studied the different voting systems, and it seems to me that the safest, most accurate way is simple optical scanning of a paper ballot. When I voted in Durham, NC, they used this method, and I think it was very fast and inexpensive compared to other methods, like the lever-type voting booths in New York, or these newfangled touchscreen systems. Basically, there were large, hollow arrows pointing to the different candidates, all on a single sheet of paper. Each voter got a big marker to “fill in” the arrow that pointed to their choice. When you were done voting, you placed the ballot in an optical scanner that immediately scanned your vote, and stored a copy of your hand-marked ballot securely inside.

That’s the kind used here (Pierce County, WA). As stated, it’s simple, (relatively) foolproof, and fast at recording, which means that any number of people can be filling in their ballots at the same time.

Another advantage is instant—or at least quick— feedback. Shortly after the system was introduced, the reader spit the ballot back at me (turned out that I’d inadvertently made a stray mark that made it seem as if I’d connected two arrows for the same section). The poll worker destroyed the spoiled ballot in my presence and issued me a new one.

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/analysis-shows-touchscreen-voting-machines-are-faulty-what-can-we-do/256256/22 "2004-07-25T20:08:14Z")

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Here’s a bit of trivia: In the U.S. in the 19th Century, voters were not provided with preprinted ballots with boxes to check – they were expected, instead, to insert in the ballot box a paper with the names of their favored candidates written on it; but the parties helpfully provided them with ballot slips preprinted with the names of their whole slate of candidates. To “vote the Republican ticket” meant to put one of the Republicans’ preprinted ballots in the box.

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