Problematic Voting Machines an Unsurprising Primary Result

Problematic voting machines and a low voter turnout were symptomatic across Westchester on Primary Tuesday. 

The state implemented the new voting technology after a federal law was passed in 20o2 that mandated changes in the voting process in the wake of the 2000 Gore vs. Bush election. ImageCast, is an update from the analog lever machines that voters throughout county have used during previous election cycles.

However, the new machines were troublesome to set up, causing polls to open late. In some instances poll workers were not given the proper keys to open the voting machines, and some machines didn't work all together, forcing election inspectors to issue emergency paper ballots. 

Susan Berger, chairwoman of the Greenburgh Democratic Committee was visiting polling locations around Greenburgh to speak with inspectors and see if there were issues. She said there were numerous problems with Tuesday' primary. 

"We've been in various locations around the Town of Greenburgh," Berger said. "We had some late opening polls that didn't get up and running by six... For the most part locations were up and running by 9 a.m. In some places the machines were not initially operating, but people were always offered, as far as we could tell, emergency ballots to vote on rather than coming back at another time."

At the Beekman Avenue firehouse in Sleepy Hollow, low turnout and broken machines were the norm for the day. The station had trouble getting started and had it's main voting machine break down – it refused to print –before their first voter came in. 

"We're all set up, nobodies been in to vote yet," said Tim Carhart, who was manning District 3's Plan B machine. "One of the machines is now waiting for the technician to come."

Polls workers didn't have a technician get to the Beekman Avenue firehouse until 2 p.m. The technician said he had been extremely busy throughout the day visiting problematic machines. 

The same problem was happening at District No. 4 and 5 based in Sleepy Hollow's Rescue Hose firehouse. District No. 4 had a machine that was not functioning, while inspectors working for District No. 5 had problems getting their machine up and running despite being trained to use the new machines. 

"Hectic," election inspector Katherine Camillieri said of the day. "It's confusing we didn't know all the ins and outs of what we were doing."

Another machine in operation, the so-called Plan B machine, was at each polling location to allow those who would have difficultly using he new optical scan machines to cast their votes on a modified machine. Lower turnout meant that Plan B machines were not tested that much yesterday. 

"There's been very little, if any, voting on them so far so we have not been able to see if there are any problems," said MaryJane Shimsky, the vice-chair of the Westchester County Democrats who was visiting locations with Berger. 

There were problems with the Plan B machine in Tarrytown's District No. 3 at the Main Street firehouse. Poll workers were preparing to open, when they realized they had not been given the proper keys, the problem has not been rectified by noon, after 25 people had cast their ballots. 

"They didn't give us a key for the Plan B machine," said Tina Whitely, an eight-year election inspector, was serving at District No. 3 in Tarrytown. "We've got no key for B."

Tarrytown's Main Street firehouse also got running late due to unforeseen start-up complications. 

"You have to open up the machines and get all of the stuff you need together and that was the problem," Whitely said. "We were lucky we didn't have anyone come early on, we had some time to get it together before the first person came."

The new voting process has also raised some concerns about privacy issues. The places where individuals marked their ballots were more open than in previous years, when a curtain closed behind the voter. Some voters complained that election inspectors would look over their shoulders as they input their votes into the optical scanning machines. 

"The new voting machines are horrible," said Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. "There are privacy issues. Election inspectors look over the shoulders of voters as they scan their ballots in the scanner – causing voters to wonder if someone is watching how they voted."

Other election inspectors said the amount of paper they used this year far exceeded previous years, partially due to the use of paper ballots and additional checks and balances that require more paper during the primary. Many inspectors said paper would be used less during the November election.

However, at least one voter was impressed with the new technology. Stacey Agdern, a Tarrytown resident voting at Village Hall, said she had no problem filling out her ballot and casting her vote. 

"It was a new experience, it very much reminded me of taking multiple choice tests in school," she said. "I hope it works."

We'll be updating local Primary Tuesday results here.