The Campaign Finance Problem is About to Get Worse
Follow the instructions on the BMD (Ballot Marking Device) and begin making your selections OR scan your Poll Pass at the BMD to expedite your voting experience.”– Los Angeles County
The new Ballot Marking Device
Up through the August 13, 2019, special election, the 5,346,339 registered voters of Los Angeles County will be using a voting system that was created before man landed on the moon. It was designed when we interacted with computers through punch cards, telephones were used exclusively for phone calls and all mail was sent by the speed of a snail. In short, our world has changed a lot, but the underlying system behind our elections has not.
This will all change when Los Angeles voters go to the polls for the 2020 Presidential Primary (and LAUSD School Board) Election. Under the Voting Solutions for All People initiative, precinct-based polling places will be replaced by county-wide Vote Centers. While this will greatly reduce the number of voting locations, it will expand options:
- Voters will not be assigned to one specific voting location but will be able to use any vote center in the county.
- Some vote centers will be open for 11 days prior to election day with additional sites being open for four days.
- Mobile and pop-up vote centers will be able to serve populations that have difficulties getting to the polls.
The updated technology will also allow same-day voter registration to occur including the ability to re-register with a different political party for the primary elections. People with disabilities will have greater access to the same voting booths being used by all the other voters for a “private and independent voting experience.” The touchscreen will allow voters to “read or listen to [their] ballot in 13 languages” and video-conferencing will be built into the Electronic Pollbooks that will replace the printed list of voters so that voters can receive assistance CONTINUE READING: The Campaign Finance Problem is About to Get Worse