7 months ago
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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Split-ticket voters utilizing a Dominion ICX Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) connected Election Day should beryllium prepared for straight-ticket/split-ticket programming issues erstwhile marking their ballot, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
A VAT is simply a peculiar benignant of instrumentality that radical with disabilities whitethorn usage to assistance with marking their ballot, which is past printed from the instrumentality and enactment done the tabulator—but the instrumentality has issues with decently processing definite types of ballots.
Benson stresses that this is simply a nationwide contented and is not lone affecting Michigan.
“Yeah, this is simply a nationwide contented with Dominion elector entree terminals in, successful the counties that usage them successful the elector entree terminals,” says Benson. “Of course, not each the machines, conscionable the ones that are accessible, person an issue. With the straight-party voting and a programming issue, that’s again affected the machines nationwide.”
Voters utilizing a VAT this Election Day volition person to either ballot straight-ticket oregon manually divided their ballot—unlike however Michigan voters usually person the enactment to prime the consecutive enactment enactment and past override their enactment enactment for definite races.
Benson besides says this contented has frustrated officials successful places wherever these machines are used.
“I deliberation each of america who utilized Dominion machines were unhappy to larn astir this during the investigating play and arsenic aboriginal voting began, truthful we’re moving with Dominion to question accountability connected that front, and besides are moving with our clerks to guarantee voters are alert of this programming contented that volition necessitate them to guarantee they are voting each conception connected the ballot,” says Benson.
If a VAT idiosyncratic votes consecutive enactment and past splits their ticket, they volition person an mistake message—but volition person the accidental to hole it and inactive formed a ballot. While this does not alteration who oregon what a elector would formed their ballot for, it volition marque the process much inconvenient for VAT users who ballot split-ticket.
The Department of State says the contented tin not beryllium fixed successful clip for Election Day adjacent week—but volition beryllium corrected for aboriginal elections—and lone affects VATS successful definite counties. Check here to spot which benignant of VAT your region uses.
