Los Angeles County's antiquated voting system is getting a badly needed upgrade in time for the upcoming 2020 elections.
Starting next year, more than 5.2 million residents will have the chance to use the Voting Solutions for All People, or VSAP, which aims to make voting for residents easier, more secure and transparent.
The new Ballot Marking Devices were designed by the Registar-Recorder/County Clerk in response to the aging system and meant to make it easier for voters to to customize their voting experience to fit their needs. Voters will be able to access 13 languages, adjust the touch screen to a comfortable angle, change the display settings such as text size and contrast or go through the ballot using the audio headset and control pad.
Rest assured, the Ballot Marking Device is NOT connected to any kind of a network or the internet.
If you're not as technically-savvy as others, don't worry, the easy-to-follow instructions guide voters through the voting process without any need for assistance.
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Not only that, voters can use an optional tool to help speed up the voting process by using the Interactive Sample Ballot to mark their choices prior to arriving to the vote center. After making their selection, voters scan the Poll Pass to transfer their selections to the Ballot Marking Device. Users will still get to double check their ballots and have the chance to make changes. Since security is so important, no identifiable information is stored in the QR code - just the voter's selections.
The Ballot Marking Device isn't the only change coming for L.A. County voters - the former 5,000 traditional polling places will be replaced with around 1,000 multipurpose "vote centers" where in-person voters will have more options. People will be able to drop off absentee ballots, cast their vote, or update their registration.