Touch screens only used for EARLY voting in TX?

[fidgeting wildly]

Not sure what to make of this. What would be the reason for it. Any thoughts?

The electronically challenged will have a pleasant surprise when they enter their polling places on Election Day. Those occasionally cantankerous touch-screen voting machines used during the two weeks of early voting will be locked away, out of service.

Instead, every one of the 500 polling places dotting Dallas County on Tuesday will be supplied with old-fashioned paper ballots, with vacant ovals reminiscent of those on high school exams. Voters will ink in the bubbles next to favored candidates, then feed the paper ballot into a scanner, which will record their votes.

link: http://tinyurl.com/4nemb (dallasnews.com,requires registration)

Maybe I should stay away from the tinfoil, but are they doing this anywhere else? Does this mean all of our early votes have been delivered for the chimp and that asshat Pete Sessions, and now they're going to let the "regular" people vote on paper? Am I being irrational?

[Nordic]

1. early voting in Los Angeles County CA was touchscreen, no paper trail

I did it, I didn't like it, but I didn't have a choice. My own damn fault for not getting an absentee ballot.

[shelley806]

2. No, you're not being irrational, considering that RWers are

the producers, profiteers (hpoefully just monetarily), and designers of the new electronic machines, from what I've read posted here. I'd wanted to do a search on this, but haven't yet.

I e-mailed my family that I felt like I was taking an exam with #2 pencils when I voted early. Lubbock though-they had the old fashioned paper ballots and it was strange.

[harpo]

3. my early vote was paper...in texas

[crispini]

4. Naw, chill about Dallas county, K?

It's easier for the office to have us vote early on electronics because during early balloting you can go anywhere county wide, so they have to have every ballot available at every polling place. Then, we typically vote on paper on the day. They've done this before in Dalco. Also our voting machines have been used in SEVERAL elections. I know several people who've had chats with our elections adminstrator and they're pretty sure he's a standup guy. Also our local election protection org had a technology committee and they checked out the voting machines.

If someone steals it here it would have to be a deliberate black ops kind of thing. Not saying it's not possible but the office is typically very aboveboard and open about stuff... they do not give out the rank stench of corruption IMO.

Now, other counties I can't speak for....

Why would they care anyway? They all think Shrub is going to take Texas.

[fidgeting wildly]

5. Thanks.

I'm feeling very on edge. Maybe it's swing state envy. :shrug: This is my first time at this, and no one else I know has ever voted early before, so touch screens were a novelty. Of course, it would be helpful if the Dallas Morning Rag would report the information you just gave me. Anyway, I feel a little silly now.

[crispini]

6. Oh, don't feel silly, I think we're ALL a little paranoid and ...

on edge. :D Why do you think I know that our voting machines and our central tabulating system are ES&S? I was paranoid and asked! Heh.

Poke around on www.dalcoelections.org, it'll make you feel a little better. Any organization that puts so much stuff up on the web is at least TRYING to be transparent and accountable, IMO. :)

You can even download the list of early voters and check your name. I did that. Warning: it's an ENORMOUS file.