The next time East Lansing residents cast a ballot, some will vote at a new location and all will use updated voting machinery.
The city is taking part in a statewide effort to make voting easier and prevent complications, East Lansing City Clerk Sharon Reid said.
Similar new models of voting machines will be used across the state to quell confusion caused by some voting devices previously used. Voters will shade in bubbles corresponding to the candidate of their choice.
"It will give quicker results," Reid said. "A voter will know instantly if they have an error on their ballot. By not having punch cards, you eliminate some of the manual labor involved in the process."
After a ballot is filled out, it will be run through a machine that verifies a resident has checked the appropriate boxes and not voted for a candidate more than once, Reid said. The machine will automatically notify the voter if an error is present, she said.
With a simplified system in place, some hope for fewer errors in the voting process.
"Human error can be a factor - we saw that in the 2000 election," said Amber Finkbeiner, an international relations sophomore. "People make mistakes and try to correct them."
Finkbeiner voted in the 2004 presidential election and said she didn't have a problem operating the punch card machines.
To help residents remember where they can make their political influences felt, voting locations throughout the city will be standardized from one election to the next. In past years, officials moved polling locations.
"It should be positive for voters because they will always vote in the same location," Reid said. "The idea is to make it easier for voters."
Officials at Michigan's Secretary of State office agree the new standards will make the overall election process run smoother, citing better local control over elections.
"One of the main reasons for the new law is to put elections into the hands of trained professionals," said Ken Silfven, a spokesman for Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land. "It is now the job of the local election coordinators committee to run elections."
Silfven said the election held last November ran smoothly, adding local clerks did a good job of orchestrating it.
Polling locations normally found around campus will not be affected, Reid said. Only those located throughout the city will be modified.
Some potential voters said they will still not go to the polls despite the city's efforts to make their visit as pleasant as possible.
"Voting is on a Tuesday, and I have school," earth science junior Lindsey Sevener said. "I just don't feel like dealing with the change in my registration. I will probably vote absentee next time."
