Each early voting site and polling place has at least one voter assist terminal (VAT), a device that voters with disabilities and others may use to assist them in marking their ballot. The voter then prints the ballot and puts it through the tabulator.
The Bureau of Elections identified an issue in the way Dominion programmed the ICX VATs for the General Election. Voters in counties using a Dominion VAT to mark their ballot will have to select EITHER the “straight party” option if they wish to vote straight party OR vote for each race on the partisan section of the ballot if they wish to “split their ticket”. While this is the process used in some other states, it is not the standard in Michigan, where voters to have the option to vote straight party but then override their party selection for individual races.
If a voter using the Dominion VAT votes straight party but then splits their ticket, the voter will receive an error message. That voter will need to go back and de-select their straight-party selection and vote for candidates in the races individually or vote straight party without splitting their ticket.
It is not possible to fix the programming for VATs this close to the election. Although the issue will not stop people from voting or making their preferred selections, and will not change anyone’s votes, it will make the process more inconvenient for some voters using the VATs.
The Bureau of Elections is providing education materials for voters and election officials so they will be prepared in advance to use the system properly. As part of this process, election workers will inform affected voters if they do not wish to split their tickets, they can select the straight-party option on the VAT but that if they wish to split their ticket, even for one race, they should not use the straight-party option.
The issue will be corrected for future elections.
A list of counties using Dominion VATs is available on Michigan.gov/Vote.
Ballot marking devices are available to all voters with special accommodations for hearing, visual, physical and other disabilities. This provides voters the opportunity to independently vote a ballot in complete privacy. This terminal marks the voter's selections on paper that becomes their ballot. Voters can select their choices using a touch screen. Personal adaptives may also be used to assist voters in making their selections. The completed ballot is then fed into a tabulator, which scans and records the votes.
Personal adaptives may be used to assist voters in making their selections.
Receive your unique voter card at the precinct check in.
Insert the card in the terminal.
The screen will verify you are ready to begin the voting process.
Select your choice for each race.
If there is a write-in candidate, select the choice on the list.
Use keypad to type the name.
When done with each race, review your selections.
Choose to print the ballot.
Printer producing the ballot.
Retrieve ballot with secrecy sleeve.
Take voter card to return to precinct worker.
Proceed to the tabulator.
Once the voter has completed marking his ballot either with a pen from the voting booth or by a ballot marking device (voter assist terminal), the voter puts his ballot in a secrecy sleeve with the ballot stub exposed and proceeds to the precinct tabulator. The voter should hand the precinct worker the application to vote. The precinct worker will check that the number on the ballot stub and application to vote match. The precinct worker will tear off the ballot stub and instruct the voter to feed the ballot into the tabulator.
When you approach the tabulator, you will follow these steps:
Screen shows tabulator is ready.
Insert ballot edge into slot.
The screens show the ballot was successfully cast.
Sometimes it is necessary to collect ballots in the auxiliary bin before tabulating. If needed, the precinct worker will instruct you to follow these steps:
Auxiliary bin slot.
Insert ballot into slot.
