Voting in Rowan County will get an upgrade in the upcoming primary election. Officials said polls county-wide will incorporate new technology that will make it easier and more convenient to vote.
County Clerk Elwood Caudill Jr. said he applied for and received a total of three grants to go toward this upgrade. It includes new booths and stands, new e-poll books, and print-on-demand scanners.
“With all this equipment now starting this primary, when you come in to vote, the e-Poll book, if you vote here, it’ll print out like a receipt, and on the bottom of that receipt, it has a barcode. Now, I’ll have a clerk that will scan that barcode that’s connected to a printer. That printer will print your ballot,” said Caudill.
Caudill said this means people can vote at any poll in the county, regardless of their district and precinct. He said the scanner will keep track of things using the barcode, and the printer will print out the necessary ballot no matter where it is.
“At the end of the night, the tally computer will actually tally, and it will let us know, it will still know what precinct you’re in because it printed your ballot. So even if you live in the city, and you want to vote, you’re working out in the county somewhere you can still do that. It will print you a city ballot,” said Caudill.
Caudill said early and absentee voting will proceed as normal and is open now for those who require those services. He said the primary ballot might be short this time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important to vote.
More information and absentee ballots can be found by contacting the county clerk’s office.
