Some Connecticut voters will use new ballot machines in November’s general election.
It’s the first time in nearly 20 years that new election equipment will be deployed in the state.
Voters in the cities and towns with the new equipment will insert their ballots the same way they’ve always done, said Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas.
The difference is the new tabulators are faster and have a larger display for errors. “So, it will be more apparent to the voter that they will need to reinsert or do something different with their ballot,” she said.
The new machines are also less likely to jam, according to officials.
“I love the fact that it is a lot less likely to jam, a lot less likely to have problems and you can double check. You have a paper backup, and you can actually count at the end of the day, by hand if you want to,” said Governor Ned Lamont.
Jammed tabulators due to wet ballots was an issue in New Haven in Lamont’s first election as governor in 2018.
The state spent $20 million on the new machines from Election Systems and Software.
They’ll initially be deployed in nine cities and towns for November’s election, then across the state by 2025.
