Question about Optical Scan/Arrow Filling Ballot......did I screw up?

[Indie Media Magazine]

I started casting my vote by selecting John Kerry but I didn't see the STRAIGHT TICKET at top, so instead of going down the line filling in arrows, I went back and just filled in Straight Ticket Dem.

Did I screw up my ballot so that it won't be counted?

[shoelace414]

1. In Wisconsin

if you mess up your ballot, it spits it back out and you get to fill it out again.

[Indie Media Magazine]

2. It didn't spit back out and I saw the vote counter go up a notch......

I don't think I screwed it up but I'd like the peace of mind.....

[phish420]

3. You should have asked that at the poll

You can ask questions at the poll and yu can 'spoil' or throw out 2 ballots (you get 3 tries)...DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS AT THE POLLS!!! YOU HAVE THE RIGHT!!

[Indie Media Magazine]

7. I did ask the volunteer.......

I asked if I could go vote Straight Ticket but I already cast a vote for POTUS, he said yes and not to forget the other side of the ballot which had a referendum.......so I put my vote thru the optical scanner and the vote counter clicked up a notch the ballot didn't spit back out.

Does anyone know the exact election rules for the Optical scanner thing, if a mark can be made on a candidate AND the Straight Party Ticket?

[bowens43]

4. Depends on where you are.

In North Carolina you have to vote for the president AND a straight ticket.

[ncgrits]

10. And in NC a friend working the polls told me . . .

If the ballot can't be read by the scanner, it drops into a separate bin inside the machine is counted manually.

So you're OK either way I would think.

[phish420]

5. Not sure what you mean

what 'straight ticket' at the top are you talking about?!?

[Indie Media Magazine]

6. The first choice was STRIGHT PARTY TICKET

Choice #2 was POTUS, so I voted for Kerry/DEM then went back and filled in the straight ticket choice.

[LTR]

8. I've heard about the 'straight ticket' box at the top

I don't check it. I just go down the line, in order to minimize confusion. And there's always a few non-partisan offices.

I vote in Wisconsin and my precinct uses optical scan, which, IMO, is the most effective way to vote.

I can't wait to vote. Can't go until after 5.

[Indie Media Magazine]

9. Should the Ballot be spit back out of the scanner if it is done wrong?!

That's what I want to know. Will the scanner spit out the ballot if somehow it thinks the voter did something wrong?

[LeftHander]

11. Yes if you marked it wrong...(link)

It will spit back out. If it is marked incorrectly....


YOu will be fine...don't worry.


in case you neded info on mark-scens ballots

http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/voting/optical/