This year, we are voting on new systems. The old lever machines are gone, replaced with a paper ballot and optical scanner.
Step 1: Getting your ballot
Everyone who signs in to vote will receive a paper ballot and a "privacy sleeve" (generally, the privacy sleeve is a manila folder). The ballots will be in pads of 50 each.
When the poll worker tears off your ballot, there will be a number on the tab above the tear. This number is used to ensure that the number of ballots cast equals the number of people who sign in to vote; there is no number on your actual ballot, and no way to connect the number with your vote.
Step 2: Marking your ballot
Take your ballot (and privacy sleeve) to a "privacy booth." This isn't a completely enclosed booth, but it should be set up so that you can mark your ballot with nobody watching. If it isn't, if someone seems to be looking over your shoulder, feel free to complain.
There will be a marking pen in the booth.
The ballot will be printed in very small type size, and may be difficult to read. There is a large, plastic magnifying glass in the privacy booth, but it will not be easy to use. Take your time, and don't let anyone rush you.
• Turn it over
There are a lot of races (at least eight), as well as Charter Revision proposals; as a result, you need to turn the ballot over and vote on both sides.
• Ballot marking devices (BMDs)
If you need help marking your ballot, you can use the BMD. These devices are designed for anyone who cannot mark their own ballot, due to a physical limitation, language difficulty, poor eyesight, or any other reason. Anyone can use a BMD, although it will take much longer to vote.
To use the BMD, insert your ballot in the machine, then use one of the devices available to have the machine mark your ballot for you, according to the choices you make. Feel free to ask for help in getting started.
Step 3: Casting your ballot
Once you have marked your ballot, either in a privacy booth or via a BMD, put it in the privacy sleeve and take it to the optical scanner. You can feed your ballot into the scanner in any direction. It doesn't matter whether the ballot goes in upside down and backwards; the scanner will read it. (Silly note: Actually, you can't feed the ballot in sideways, because it won't fit,)
In order to feed your ballot into the scanner, you may need to pull it slightly out of the privacy sleeve.
Make sure poll workers aren't too close for comfort. If a poll worker is too close, complain about it - they should not be able to read any part of your ballot.
• Getting a warning
If you fail to vote, or choose not to vote, on any race or proposal (an "undervote"), the scanner will not tell you. It will merely accept your ballot as is.
If you vote for too many candidates in any race (an "overvote"), the scanner will warn you that you have an overvote, and give you a choice. You can get your ballot back and replace it, or you can have the scanner accept your ballot as is.
If you choose to take your ballot back, you can get it replaced (the poll worker should destroy your original ballot), and start over.
If you choose to have the scanner accept your ballot, the race in which you overvoted will not count, but all the other choices you made will count.
Miscellaneous