http://yankton.net/articles/2012/09/27/community/doc5063b54eee904928024414.txt

Yankton County Voting Changes Discussed At Area Meeting

Secretary of State Jason Gant displays a Yankton County sample ballot during a voter information meeting on Wednesday. The meeting discussed the changes to the election system for this fall. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net

About two dozen likely voters gathered at the Yankton County Government Center on Wednesday for an informational meeting about the changes in the election system this fall.

County Auditor Paula Jones said she is excited about the modifications Yankton County will undergo this election season thanks to changes in state law and to the new technology.

The biggest change voters will notice is that they are no longer restricted to casting a ballot on election day at the polling place within their precinct. With the new voting center system in place, a ballot can be cast at any of the seven polling stations across the county.

The voting centers will be at:

• Yankton City Hall, 416 Walnut St.

• Yankton Middle School, 2000 Mulberry St.

•JoDean’s Steakhouse and Lounge, 2809 Broadway Ave., Yankton

• the Rock House, 31120 Quarry Drive, Yankton

• Gayville Community Center, 404 Washington St., Gayville

• Broomtree Farm, Bishop Carlson Lodge, 29827 Ave. Irene

• the Lesterville Fire Hall, Lesterville.

The other old polling stations will no longer be open on election day.

“It’s going to be new to all of us, but I think it’s an exciting concept,” Jones said. “I think voters will appreciate the ease with which they can vote.

“There are always people who come to a voting place at five minutes to 7 p.m. on election night only to discover they are in the wrong precinct,” she continued. “They don’t have time to drive to the precinct they are registered in. That will no longer be an issue.”

Jones said the move could save the county money and make the voting system more efficient. During the last primary election, she said the cost per voter was as low as $10 in one Yankton location and as high as $170 at a rural polling station. The overall average cost was $46.32.

With the new system, it is projected that the average cost could be reduced to $2.79.

Secretary of State Jason Gant, who was present at Wednesday’s meeting also described some of the changes at the meeting.

“With the new system, you are not voting online,” he said. “You still get your paper ballot and pencil to fill in the ovals and cast your vote.”

The new voting center concept has been implemented at three rural counties throughout the state, along with Sioux Falls. Gant said he is happy with the progress of the system and that it has been very successful so far.

“The beauty of the new technology is that we are now able to connect the whole county on one system,” he said. “This allows voters to cast their ballot anywhere in the county.”

He said that voters might be overwhelmed with seeing the new technology when they walk in to cast their vote, but the computers are only used to sign in voters. The rest of the system is done the same way it has been in the past.

Gant added there have not been too many troubleshooting issues in other counties that have implemented the system already. He said the new system allows the check in process to be more efficient, faster and more secure.

“This system is a great step forward for the state,” he said. “We are on the cutting edge of this technology. Yankton County requested the new technology and I was happy to come help them get set up.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal