TOUCH SCREEN 1. A smart card or security code provided by poll
workers is inserted, which
allows a voter to complete one ballot.
2. The voter presses
on-screen buttons to select candidates... Troy Doolittle/TopDog Illustration
OPTICAL SCANNER 1 A voter fills in targets, usually ovals, on a paper ballot, then feeds the page into a scanner.
2. A row of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) illuminates the paper as it scrolls by. An array of sensors picks up the reflections from timing marks on the ballot's edge indicating the office being elected and from the "dark spots" indicating the voter's choices... Troy Doolittle/TopDog Illustration
LEVER MACHINE A voter closes a curtain, then turns a lever for each desired candidate. Pulling the arm that reopens the curtain causes counter wheels behind each turned lever to advance a notch (like an odometer) and resets the levers... AP PHOTO
VOTING TECHNOLOGY Each county selects a technology. Optical scanners and touch screens prevail. ELECTION DATA SERVICES
