Although state officials say Michigan is transitioning to a new voting system, voters won't see much change in the voting process this year.

Leslie and Leslie Township are the two areas in Ingham County where a new voting machine called AccuVote will be in use. AccuVote is one of the new optical-scan voting systems that will enable voters to use pencils to fill out scantrons when casting their ballots.

The rest of the county will continue to use punch cards.

Michigan was granted $28 million from the federal government to replace outdated voting machines, and areas with the oldest equipment were given priority, said Secretary of State spokesman Ken Silfven.

Although Michigan laws have prevented the state from experiencing the punch card difficulties that caused a recount in Florida in the 2000 election, state officials are trying to get away from using punch cards by the 2006 election, Silfven said.

While Michigan witnessed its largest number of registered voters this year, officials are trying to ensure that all votes are well-handled by conventional voting methods, he said.

"There won't be a shortage of ballots," Silfven said. "It'll be a busy year, but it'll be smooth sailing."

With the conventional voting method, voters should be aware of where they're marking ballots to make sure votes are counted accurately, but there are ways of correcting mistakes, Silfven said.

"You can request a new ballot if you mess up," he said.

Meanwhile, several area organizations are getting ready to help registered voters.

Among them is the Capital Area Transportation Authority, which will offer free rides to registered voters on Nov. 2.

Passengers can use the buses for free if they show their valid voter registration cards to drivers.

"We've been doing the free rides since 1988 when the League of Women Voters suggested it to us," said Debbie Alexander, CATA assistant executive director. "We think it's a good service to offer to registered voters."

Although CATA offers free transportation to voters, the bus service will not stray from its regular routes, she said.

"We don't change the routes because the intent of the free rides is not to get voters to the polls," Alexander said. "Although if a voting precinct is at a school or a building that falls along one of the routes, then it's a benefit to voters."

For voters registered in East Lansing, there are several voting locations that can be accessed from riding campus bus lines. To get information on voting locations, call the East Lansing City Clerk's office at (517) 319-6891 or go to sospublius.org/publiussearch.