These gimcrack contraptions look like something created by a suburban parent to amuse the kids on a rainy day in the pretelevision 1950s In their place are a dozen flimsy little lecterns. He also offers you a “privacy folder” - a manila folder that’s shorter than the ballot and looks like an afterthought. (The political parties’ names must be there, too, but the font is so small I don’t remember The candidates’ namesĪnd instructions for using the ballot are printed on one side of this sheet of paper in very small letters. When you sign in, as I did at my polling place for the 52nd Assembly District on Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights, the poll watcher gives you a paper ballot longer than a legal-size sheet.
So here’s the new system, 10 years after it was first mandated by law: If the machine broke or wentīerserk and miscounted, there was no way to recount the ballots. These old machines broke down a lot (although I personally have never seen this happen, and I vote in every election), but their main flaw was that they didn’t keep any paper record. Unlike the theme of “Law & Order,” your vote was cast: The X’s disappeared (ensuring its secrecy) and the curtain behind you opened. When you were satisfied with your selection - (I use the word “satisfied” loosely, of course) - you cast your vote by pulling the giant handle again. The X disappeared, and you could begin again. Pulled the wrong lever, or had second thoughts, you pulled it back. When you pulled the lever, there was a clicking sound, and an X appeared in the box next to the candidate’s name. Name was a box and small lever - both about the size of my thumbnail. Each column was headed by the political party’s name. On its face, you read the candidates’ names, in columns. The machine in front of you took up most of the width of the booth. When you pulled the handle, the curtain closed behind you with a big thud! Indicated by a huge red arrow in front of you. The impression was reinforced by the first thing you did on entering the booth, which was to pull a giant handle (almost as long as your leg) into the “Voting Position”. This enclosed, curtained space conveyed that you were engaged
The old voting booth was about half the size of a New York City bathroom, surrounded by curtains that ran from well above your head down to your calves. Bloomberg, who spoke for just about everyone who voted yesterday.įirst, a brief description of the old system, for those of you unfamiliar with it: The inherent flaws and initial spotty performance of the new New York City voting system have already been denounced by Mayor Michael R. We thought it smartly summed up the experiences of many, and we happily present it here: This follows a primary day that prompted many complaints. Lynn Brenner, a friend of City Room, sent around an e-mail describing her voting experience in New York City on Tuesday and contrasting it with her experiences of past years. Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times Voters at a polling station at Junior High School 118 on West 93rd Street in Manhattan.
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