O.K. can someone explain a voting machine thing to me...

[vi5]

I've been voting in every single election since 1988. Every time I've voted it's been in a voting booth where I go in and press the buttons indicating the choices I want and then pull a lever registering the choices.

I've never gotten a receipt. How are these votes on those machines actually being registered? I've never really thought about it before, but with everyone yapping about having a paper trail, I'm not sure how not having a paper trail previously guaranteed in any way that my vote was recorded accurately.

[cheezus]

1. not positive, but i think you had punch cards

the buttons pushed line up with the chads, and the level pull pushes them through.

[flyingfysh]

2. Those old machines are mechanical gadgets

Those machines are mechanical gadgets, and not easy to change. They can't be tampered with remotely, and certainly not by an operator sticking in a card somewhere. If the power goes out, the positions of the gears etc maintain the state of the votes.

Writing a fraudulent voting program and later sneaking in a good one to replace to cover your tracks is trivial and cheap. You can't do the same thing with a mechanical machine.

[ParanoidPat]

3. In what State and County do you vote?

I need to know exactly what make and model equipment you use in order to give an intelligent answer. :)

I'll be happy to look it up.

[vi5]

4. I've voted in several different counties in NJ and PA....

All have had these machines.