At a Vote Center, voters have the option of marking a paper ballot or using the new touchscreen ballot marking tablet to mark their ballot.
Each Vote Center will have multiple accessible voting stations consisting of a modern touchscreen ballot marking tablet and an individual printer. These devices provide a simple, intuitive interface for voters. Unlike the direct-recording electronic voting machines previously used, ballot marking tablets do not store voters’ selections electronically.
After marking their ballots, voters print their ballots from a printer in their voting booth. The printed ballot lists the voters’ selections and includes a secure bar code. Voters then deposit their ballot in a Ballot Box.
Video – How to Vote using a Ballot Marking Tablet
Español Video - Cómo Votar en una Tableta de Marcar Boletas
If voters choose to complete their ballot by hand, the appropriate ballot for each voter is printed. Once the voter completes marking the ballot, the voter deposits the ballot in the Ballot Box.
Ballot Boxes are returned to the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division, where central high-speed scanners count the paper ballots and tabulate votes. As ballots are reviewed during the canvass, the system creates a complete audit trail documenting how each mark on each ballot was interpreted and tallied.