But at a time when voting machine technology is advancing like never before, some voting experts say the city should have waited for better machines or the potential windfall of public funding expected in the next few years. We wanted something which has been used in other jurisdictions, where we know the problems that they have encountered. None of it is magic, it's experience.
Experts say the electronic machines are the easiest transition for voters used to lever machines.
The biggest change will be behind the scenes. Instead of hand-recording each vote at the end of the night, election workers will rely on electronic tallying. We want to get rid of that whole end of the business, with all that inherent inaccuracies. About 30 percent of Americans use optical scanners and 10 percent use electronic machines similar to Philadelphia's new machines. But voting and election technology, typically known to move glacially slow and always at the bottom of municipal funding lists, received a giant jumpstart from last November's presidential election gaffe.