PERRY, Ga. — The 2020 election is coming up, and the Georgia is preparing to use a new voting system by testing it out at the Georgia National Fair.
Georgia used completely electronic voting machines in previous years and many Georgians argued the system was outdated, inaccurate, and insecure.
In June, Federal Judge Amy Totenberg ordered Georgia to switch to a new voting system for the presidential primaries in March.
That new system includes a secure and verifiable paper ballot, and it is being tested at the 2019 Georgia National Fair in Perry.
So, how do the new voting machines work?
When you go to vote at your precinct, a poll worker will look you up in the voter registration database.
A ballot card is made after your information, like name and address, is confirmed.
You’ll take the ballot card to a ballot marking device.
The new system uses a touch screen device, much like the old system, which displays the different ballot questions and options.
But unlike the old system, after you finish marking your ballot, a copy is printed out instead of instead of being stored on the ballot card.
The printed ballot will then need to be cast into a ballot box for it to count.
The new system also has some special accessibility features for people with disabilities.
One of those features is an accessible tactile interface, or ATI, controller.
The ATI controller has large buttons, braille instructions, a headphone jack and a port for sip-n-puff technology to help people who can not use their hands.
The new voting technology is on display at the Georgia National Fair in the Georgia Grown building at the Secretary of State’s booth until Oct. 13.
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