'President-side down' - how to insert ballot into machine.

[Eric J in MN]

An election-official woman was standing near the ballot machine where I voted telling each voter to insert the ballot 'President-side down.'

It probably would have been simpler to put a sign on the machine.

I don't recall being told which way to insert the ballot the previous times I voted in MN.

Does the machine spit it out if you put it in facing the wrong way?

[dflprincess]

1. I wasn't told to that this morning.

And I'd be pretty sure I put it in the machine "president side up" - as I was admiring my ballot and my votes as I walked over to the maching. (Actually I was obsessively checking it to make sure I had the right circles filled in).

[Eric J in MN]

2. Do you think the machine can read the ballot either way?

Or is it president-side down in some precincts and president-side up in other precincts?

[dflprincess]

4. Like you, I've never had instructions on how to feed the ballot into the counter

so it must be able to read it either way - especially as it is a 2 sided ballot this year. If it made a difference, surely other election judges would be telling people how to feed it in. I know the machines will spit out a ballot immediately (I mean while you're still standing there) if it can't read it or if there is a stray mark on it somewhere.

Maybe they had a picky machine at your precinct or - maybe they have an anal retentave election judge who wants all the ballots facing one way in case they have to reconcile them tonight?

[myrna minx]

3. I submitted mine president side up and no one told me otherwise.

I haven't heard of that before.

[geardaddy]

5. The election judge at my voting site

just said, "stick it in...either side up is fine."

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. I asked the election official which way I should insert it

and he said that either way was fine but that it seemed to work better "judge side up."

[ISUGRADIA]

7. She was wrong

The tabulator will read the ballot anyway you insert it.

[Eric J in MN]

8. You're probably right, but how do you know that? NT

NT

[ISUGRADIA]

9. I've been an election judge and the tabulators

are programed that way - to read the ballots from any possible position.

[Eric J in MN]

10. Does that include if the words are upside-down to the person inserting the ballot? NT

NT

[ISUGRADIA]

11. In Minneapolis, which is all I can vouch for,

words upside down would be accepted. the tabulators have to be programed so that a person can put it in independently without some one looking over his/her shoulder. when i helped test the machines, that was one thing that was done to make sure they were working correctly.

[Eric J in MN]

12. OK, thanks. NT

NT