Making The Votes Count

Polling Story

By Kaitlyn Rich

As many already know New York has already gone to Obama. But how are the millions of votes counted? And in particular what voting machinery and methods effect the Tompkins County vote? On Tuesday polling locations all over New York state used the old fashioned lever voters for the last time this year. At area voting locations such as the Museum of the Earth, the Ithaca Library and South Hill Elementary School election officials and voters alike were taking special measures to make sure every vote was counted.

"We have multiple ways of counting the ballots beside the machines," said Becky Booth, election official at the South Hill Elementary School site. Volunteers at all the sites tallied up each individual location's votes before turning them into the county board of locations, who in-turn forwards the totals to the state.

We've all been her since five in the morning," said Carol*, another South Hill Elementary School volunteer. "It's been a very long day," she added. Many polling workers have been manning their posts for over twelve hour shifts which begs the question - How accurate is the counting mechanisms? "Well there is old and there is new technology," said Carol, "Whatever the case we will be able to handle it."

Carol was hinting at the fact that by the next election the state will be outfitted with new handicap accessible voting machines. The current ones work "perfectly fine," as Booth says, they just are harder for the handicap to "use effectively." 

While the votes where steadily being counted, by both hand, machine, and registration records at all locations in the Tompkins County area yesterday the true historic importance of the event was something more than its accurate vote tally. 

"It is amazing to see the country, America, unite as it has in this election. To see the youth come out today and vote is amazing. America is really aware, it's awake," said Booth. Again while the overall numbers will take a few hours of speculation and ultimately days of scrutiny to finalize all the volunteers echoed that the youths' voting experience on Tuesday was the most memorable experience of the day. "We had a group of young girls come in and vote earlier today, one was celebrating her eighteenth birthday," said Sandra Reukaol, another South Hill volunteer, "And they came out with huge smiles on their faces and skipped out the door. I'll never forget it."

* Last names were withheld for privacy. 

Photo and video (from top to bottom): Volunteers help voters at the Museum of the Earth polling location; outside of the museum signs lead voters to where they can cast their ballots; and in the video Carol shows a first time voter how to use New York States older voting machines.