What to know about the new voting machines appearing in some — but not all — New Jersey counties

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The residents of Burlington County, New Jersey, will use brand new voting machines this November. Election officials are encouraging voters to familiarize themselves with the new system.

The new voting machines were previously used for early voting and the primary election this past spring. Ashley Koning, the director of the Rutgers University Eagleton Poll, said that by educating voters, Burlington County officials empower residents and let them know the system is transparent and secure.

“This is what democracy ideally should be, having citizens engaged within the democracy and having the government often being an educational tool,” she said.

Koning said it’s essential to encourage voters to voice their opinions on candidates and to exercise their right to vote.

“All of this is important in the current election cycle, and so it will be interesting to see what these educational efforts bear in terms of voter turnout,” she said.

What does the machine look like?

Superintendent of Elections Dawn Marie Addiego said the machine looks like a giant iPad — the ballot comes up on the screen, and once a vote is cast, voters can get a printed copy of the ballot and review it for accuracy.

What prompted the switch?

Addiego said the new voting machines offer an added layer of security by providing a paper trail, which older machines did not deliver.

“They [old machines] were heading towards 30 years old, the technology was outdated,” she said. “The machines were breaking down and they were not providing the materials or the software anymore for those machines to properly work.”

How to educate yourself on the new voting machines?

Addiego said that leading up to the elections, residents can check out the new equipment on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Moorestown Mall. She said the county also has a three-minute video on its website explaining how the machine works and can be operated.

“The whole idea is that this is a right and a privilege, and we want as many people to exercise that right as they possibly can,” said Addiego.

How does the voting process work?

Officials said having a printed copy of the ballot ensures accuracy and security. “You take that ballot over to a tabulator, and the ballot is then inserted by you into that tabulation device, and then it says that your vote has counted,” Addiego said.

The ballot tabulation device is kept sealed and it is transported by Republicans and Democrats to a vault and is kept there in case there is the need for a recount.”

After a ballot is cast electronically, voters have three chances to correct any errors.

Where else are these voting machines being used?

Apart from Burlington County, the new machines are also being used in Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Mercer and Salem counties.

Addiego said residents can also get help with voter registration and other election-related matters if they visit the mall on Saturdays.

She added to help residents with election-related issues, from now till election day, “we also go to senior centers, we go to schools, farmers markets, and the public library.”