How will the new voting system enhance voting in King County?
There are several advantages to using the optical scan system-friendlier voting, enhanced security and quicker results.

• Friendlier voting: The optical scan system provides the voter with the entire candidate and measure information printed directly on the ballot. The voter marks the ballot by filling in the oval beside the candidate or measure of choice with a dark pen. This "name-on-ballot" feature gives both the absentee voter and the polling place voter increased confidence that the votes are correctly marked and tallied.
• Enhanced security: The new system requires a counting device at all the polls so that the voter is the only person to touch the ballot from the time it is cast to the time it is counted.
• Quicker election night results/more detailed reporting for absentee ballots: Election night ballot tabulation results will be electronically transmitted to the Election Section's "Central Count" office from secure sites around the County. Using the technology associated with the new election system will allow the County to post a greater percentage of polling place election night results sooner than using punch card technology.

  Absentee ballots should be postmarked no later than the election day and will be tallied on election day at the earliest. While the County will still require several days to finalize the absentee ballot tabulations, the County is quite excited about being able to provide enhanced reporting of absentee ballot tabulations, such as reporting by precinct.

Voting at the polls

How does the voter cast his or her ballot at the polls?
The voter will be given the ballot with the candidates and/or measures printed on it. The voting booths have a flat surface where the voter will use a dark pen to color the ovals beside the candidate or measure of choice. The voter then takes the ballot to the Accu-Vote machine and slides it face down into the machine. The Accu-Vote "grabs" the ballot, reads it and stores the vote.

Informational posters on how to vote will be posted in each polling place. Election officials will be available to answer questions citizens have about using the new system.

What if the voter makes a mistake
If the voter makes an incorrect choice, he/she can return the ballot with the error to a poll worker. The poll worker will give the voter a new ballot to mark correctly. Once the voter casts the ballot into the Accu-Vote, the voter can not make a change.

Voting absentee

How do absentee voters vote with the Accu-Vote system?
Instead of receiving a punch-card ballot in the mail, the voter will receive a new optical scan ballot. The voter will darken the ovals beside the candidate or measure of choice, just like a voter would at the polls. After that, the absentee voting process remains the same. The absentee voter will mail or bring the ballot, sealed in a security envelope, to the Elections Office no later than election day.

What if the voter makes a mistake?
If an incorrect choice is made, the voter will "X" out the incorrect choice, then fill in the oval of the correct choice.

Voter resources