Take a new voting machine for a test-run

The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- People attending the Canfield Fair can learn to use Mahoning County's new iVotronic Voting System by completing a survey for the Mahoning County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board.
"We want to get the public familiar with the new machines, especially high school seniors who we want to encourage to vote and senior citizens who might be intimidated because they think the new machines require them to use a computer," said Raymond Butler of the Mahoning County Board of Elections. "We want to get as many people as we can familiar with the system so that no one is disenfranchised."
To do that, the board of elections has used the machines to conduct school elections, Butler said. "The idea to use the machines to conduct a survey for the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board was spawned about a month ago."
The addiction board is required to collect feedback from the public, Butler explained. "This is unscientific, but at least they are able to get a feel for what the community is thinking."
What survey asks
The survey asks respondents to identify the community where they live, age group and sex and then respond to a series of yes-or-no questions regarding their perceptions of drug and alcohol abuse.
Questions such as "Do you have a loved one or know someone with an alcohol or drug addiction problem?" and "Should marijuana be legalized for general use by adults?"
The entire survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and by responding to each question, respondents get practice in using the new voting machines, Butler said.
"They're very easy to use, very easy to understand and much faster," said Martha Howard, who retired from the Trumbull County Board of Elections.
Howard and her husband, Harry, completed the survey because they wanted to try the new machines, even though they don't vote in Mahoning County.
"I hope we get them in Trumbull County," Howard said.
"I think they're great," her husband added.
So far, young people seem to think using the new machines is fun, Butler said; senior citizens like them "because they don't have to worry about the little stubby pencils."
The new machines are up and running in the government building, and Butler said everyone, Mahoning County resident or not, is encouraged to give them a try.
He's hoping to partner with other county agencies to complete similar tasks.
kubik@vindy.com