High-Tech, Low-Tech

The United States has moved from punch cards and lever machines to accessible ballot marking devices and optical scanners for hand-marked paper ballots and direct recording electronic systems. With more contests than ever on local ballots and a growing number of registered voters, this has enabled Americans to get accurate election results quickly.

As advocates for alternative voting methods pitch hand counting or an end to hand-marked ballots, there’s a mathematical equation that election officials must do to determine what systems work best for them.