Slow, finicky machine prompts Lincolnville to employ ballot collection ‘tote’ to speed voting Tuesday
From left, ballot clerks Peggy Rice and Vicki Eugley work the late shift Tuesday evening in Lincolnville, where the Maine Secretary of State’s Office approved using a blue tote as an alternative to collect ballots and speed voting, according to Lincolnville Deputy Warden Karen Secotte. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
From left, ballot clerks Peggy Rice and Vicki Eugley work the late shift Tuesday evening in Lincolnville, where the Maine Secretary of State’s Office approved using a blue tote as an alternative to collect ballots and speed voting, according to Lincolnville Deputy Warden Karen Secotte. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
LINCOLNVILLE — Obtaining a ballot and an empty curtained booth in which to fill in the circles beside one's choices was a quick process for voters in Lincolnville throughout the day, but up until about 1 p.m., the wait time to deposit the three ballots into the tabulating machine took more than an hour.
And that was 60-75 minutes of standing with as many as 100 other voters in the Lincolnville Central School gym in a snaking line, ala Disney World, except the payoff was not a ride down Splash Mountain.
"We started hearing that people were coming in and seeing the line to vote, and turning around and leaving because the line was too long," said Lincolnville Deputy Warden Karen Secotte. "So I made a call to the Secretary of State to find out what our options were to alleviate the wait time."
The option, Secotte said she was told, was to get a plastic tote, tape it shut, cut a hole in the top big enough to slide the ballots through, secure it on a chair or table next to the ballot clerks beside the ballot tabulating machine, and give voters the option to drop their ballots into the tote.
"The room was so full of people, waiting in line, you couldn't walk through at that point," said Secotte. "But once we put the tote in place, and we announced the option, an applause went up around the room."
Secotte said that within a few minutes, the wait time for voters to drop off their ballots was reduced to about 10 minutes. She said some people opted to stay in line and use the machine, but those in a hurry or who did not want to wait for the finicky machine to finally accept all three of each voters ballots, could put their ballots into the tote for counting later by election staff.
When polls close at 8 p.m., Secotte said the ballots placed into the tote would be inserted by the ballot clerks into the tabulation machine, followed by processing the absentee ballots, which she said numbered more than 400. Only then will Lincolnville will be able to release their voting results.
Related link:
• Heavy, heavy voter turnout for Election Day from Belfast to Rockland, and beyond
Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 207-706-6655.
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