Highbush Cranberry

 

Public Test of the Voting Machine this morning.  It's always announced in the paper the week before.  It's always within 10 days of the election.  Our town always does it on the Monday of the week before the election at 10 a.m.  As long as I was clerk and then working elections we've never had anyone come to the public test.  We have shanghaied people who dropped by the town hall for other purposes into filling out test ballots but never anyone specifically for the test  This morning I stopped by downtown for a latte before heading to the town hall.  Got there an hour ahead of time and did setup: moved tables, chairs, setup polling booths, brought out the voting machine, and checked the materials sent from the County Clerk's office.  When Chief Inspector Barb arrived all was ready to start up the machine.   We were just about to start the test when Neighbor Mark walked in.  Yay!  Our very first 'public' at the 'public test'.  Mark stopped at the doorway and looked confused.   Barb and I had multiple ballots splayed out in front of us and we were making marks on all of them.   He had driven past the town hall, noticed our cars out in front, and hoped he might be able to vote early.   He had no idea we were there for the Public Test.   I knew the in-person voting procedure from when I was clerk but pretty sure officially only the clerk or their deputy could conduct it.   I called Town Clerk Chris.  She said I couldn't do it.   I handed my phone to Mark and told him to work out a time when he could meet w/ Chris.  Chris said she had some time right now and if Mark could stick around for another half hour, she'd come to the town hall.  Since Mark had nothing better to do while he waited, I got him to fill out a test ballot.  Barb reminded him again that this wasn't the real deal and Mark said he understood and to reassure her told her he'd written his dog's name in for State Assembly.  (Better than some of the options.)  Barb and I closed the polls, printed out our 'voter count', and zeroed out machine.  Chris arrived and had Mark fill out his real ballot in her office.  I checked the tabulator count against our ballots and everything matched.  Chris and Mark left.  Barb and I locked up t he poll books and ballots and we took off too.  For all of the fear-mongering, machination intrigues, and outright lies about voting machines I'm surprised no one bothers to come to the testing - specifically open for the public - of the machines.  But then, why muddle up a perfectly good conspiracy theory w/ facts?