Latest news with #JackieOrtiz
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Monroe County introduces new voting machines at polls
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Voting in Monroe County will look different this election season. Registered voters will be among the first in New York State to go from casting their ballots by pen – to touch screen. 'When you first walk into a polling site, you will sign in the way you normally do. You will now receive a summary ballot,' said Jackie Ortiz, Monroe County's Democratic BOE Commissioner. Monroe County voters will no longer need to fill in the bubbles on a ballot by hand. Instead, they will make their selections through a screen. The BOE is introducing more than 1,000 Express Vote XL machines to its polling sites across the county. 'It is a big step for us. The previous machines we were utilizing, the Dominion scanner machines, were more than a decade old. It is one of those things where after so much time, there are options for us to choose from,' said Ortiz. Registered voters will receive a blank paper ballot. They will then go into a private booth, insert the ballot into the machine, make selections, and cast their ballot. The ballot is then stored in the back of the machine for later processing. Metro Justice calls for action from Rochester City Council to replace RG&E 'In addition to having a better and faster voting experience, potentially because there's more machines, it's more streamlined. You'll come in, sign in, get your ballot, go inside the curtain and make your selections. There's a whole step that was there the last 15 years – that will not be there now,' said Peter Elder, Monroe County's Republican Board of Elections Commissioner. BOE officials say the change has been in the making for a few years. Monroe County is the first in New York State to roll out the technology. 'That difference is going to be huge because if somebody is in one of the machines in your polling site, and they are taking a bit longer, you have another machine to go to and that's a huge advantage in getting people through and streamlining this process. If you take a bit longer in there, that's okay. Take the time you need,' said Elder. Elections commissioners add they had success with the machines following a trial run during village elections in March. The machines will be used for school budget votes next week, followed by the June primary and the general election in November as well as further election cycles. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New voting machines unveiled for Monroe County
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Monroe County Board of Elections is unveiling new voting machines for upcoming elections. The Express XLs were unveiled at a press conference Monday morning. Developed by Elections Systems & Software, the machines are state and federally certified and operate in 32 states. The county has ordered over 1,000 of these machines. The machines have privacy curtains but have new technology similar to a tablet. The machines are equipped with ADA features to help with independent voting. Other features include enlarging the font, language selection, and multiple options to record votes. Board of Election Commissioners Jackie Ortiz and Peter Elder said the machines were well-received and performed well. They demonstrated the machines during the press conference and plan to have future demonstrations with the machines. 'Your voting experience will be very similar to what you have now. The difference is that there's a slightly larger printer that you put these blank cards into, it puts a header in there, which lets the machines know what ballot face to call up,' Elder said. 'Most voters will experience almost no difference at all when they come in to vote and check-in.' Voters may also stop by the Monroe County Board of Commissions to check out demonstrations of the new machines. You can watch a demonstration of the machines in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
