Primary Update: New Voting Machines Functioning in Smithtown

Polling coordinators at Smithtown voting locations have reported a slow but problem-free morning as voters cast their ballot for the primary election on new electronic voting machines.

"People having been taking to the new machines just fine," said Virginia Stanton, polling coordinator at Smithtown High School West. "Our staff was well-trained by the Board of Elections and have been leading people through the process."

Eva Normandine, coordinator at the New York Avenue voting location, had a similar response.

"Things have been running smoothly," Normandine said. "With a little instruction, people have had no problem with the machine. The staff attended three workshops over the summer to help people through."

Both Smithtown polling sites reported an overall slow morning, with low traffic even during lunch hours.

"It will probably pick up later, since people most did not get off from work today," Stanton said. "But the primary is never as busy as the general election."

Over at Berry Hill Elementary School in Syosset, two of the four machines were out of order during the morning. Officials said that the screens–instead of thanking the voter at the end of the process–were instead saying that the vote had counted but also included an error message.

Polling station workers couldn't figure out what the problem was. They debated whether the error message involved over-voting or under-voting the ballot.

It was neither. Five minutes later officials from the Nassau County Board of Elections arrived and immediately deduced the problem: The two malfunctioning machines were clogged because the blue boxes under the machines that hold the backup paper ballots were closed. The machines were unlocked, the boxes were opened and everything returned to working order.

A Nassau Board of Elections worker said there had been intermittent human error around the county–at one polling station the blue box was off to the side and the ballots were falling right to the bottom of the machine–but there had been no actual machine malfunctions. 

The problems didn't create lines for voters, since no one showed up to vote during that period.