Carbon County officials want to make sure the voters are familiar with the new voting process ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The Times News met with Lisa Dart, Carbon County elections director, to go over the process on how to cast your ballot.

Dart said that the process, overall, is easy for the voters and should be a smooth transition from the electronic voting machines the county previously used.

The new voting process includes the voter receiving a paper ballot and black Sharpie marker after signing in with officials at their polling place.

They will then go to a privacy booth that is set up and fill in the circles for their choices. Dart said that one thing to remember is to fully color in the circle for your choice so the machine has an easy time reading it. X’s or check marks should not be used.

Once the voter completes the ballot, they will take it over to the scanner, which resembles a large printer, and insert the paper into the scanning slot. A screen next to the scanner allows the voter to watch as it reads their ballot and records their choices. The ballot will then automatically be dropped into a bin inside the machine and remain there until the election is over.

In the event of a write-in on a ballot, the scanner will make note of that as it reads the choices and record the vote just like it would the rest of the ballot.

An additional photo will be taken of each completed ballot. Poll workers will not scan the ballots; it must be completed by the voter.

A large-screen tablet will also be set up in the event a voter needs an ADA-accessible marking device. Voting is then completed on a touch screen and a paper ballot is then printed to be scanned and recorded by the scanner.

The data from the scanned ballots in each precinct will be stored on a USB card inside the scanner and removed after the polls close. It will then be returned to the elections office for tabulation.

Voters wishing to see the machines ahead of the election can also contact the elections bureau.

Dart announced last week that beginning this week, the new equipment would be set up in the office for people to view during business hours.

A video from Dominion Voting Systems Inc. showing the process is also available at www.carboncounty.com or on the Times News website at https://bit.ly/2kJ2WWm.

In September, the county commissioners accepted the quote for the purchase of the 55 new voting machines from Dominion Voting Systems Inc. at a cost of $421,753.31 plus shipping costs and other associated services. This price included a $212,000 discount.

Carbon County’s election board, in June, decided on the new machines, which include one precinct scanner and one ADA accessible ballot marking device for each precinct.