Honolulu, Hawaii utilizes two primary voting systems: optical scan and DRE (Direct Recording Electronic).
Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper and take it to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the candidates and ballot measures printed on it. You will use a pen or pencil to fill in a small square, circle, or the space between two arrows. After you have filled out all the cards, you take them to a ballot box, where a poll worker will show you how to cast your ballot. Or in some places, you may feed the completed card or paper into a computer device for checking right there at the polling place, ensuring you voted as intended and your ballot is counted.
Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest system used in the United States. All the information about who and what you are voting for is displayed on an electronic screen like a TV or computer.
There are many variations of DREs because many companies are inventing new versions and many cities, counties, and states are trying them out. Usually, after you check in, a poll worker will give you a card that you slide into the device to start your voting session.
Some of these devices will display all the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Usually, with these big-screen devices, you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no for a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then, you might go to the next page to vote for senator. Usually, these smaller-screen devices have touch screens, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have numeric keypads. And some have keyboards, so you can write in the name of the person you want to vote for.
You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen, or entering something on a numeric keypad.
You can learn more about voting systems by viewing the Election Assistance Commission (EAC)’s resources or through Verified Voting.
