Voting methods and equipment by state

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The types of voting equipment used in the United States vary from state to state. Some jurisdictions use electronic devices to record votes while others use paper ballots. Tabulation methods likewise vary from state to state.

Types of voting equipment

The following types of voting equipment are in use in the United States or have been used in recent years:

• Optical scan paper ballot systems: Voters mark their votes by filling in an oval, box, or similar shape on a paper ballot. The paper ballots are scanned either at the polling place or at a central location.

• Direct recording electronic (DRE) systems: DRE systems employ computers that record votes directly into the computers' memory. These interfaces may incorporate touchscreens, dials, or mechanical buttons. The voter's choices are stored by the computer on a cartridge or hard drive. Some DRE systems are also equipped with Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) printers, which produce paper records that can be preserved to be tabulated in case of an audit or recount.

• Ballot-marking devices and systems (BMDs): A BMD "allows for the electronic presentation of a ballot, electronic selection of valid contest options, and the production of a human-readable paper ballot, but does not make any other lasting record of the voter’s selections." Initially used primarily to accommodate voters with disabilities, BMDs are used by all voters in some locations.

Voting equipment by state

The table below shows what voting equipment was used in each state for the November 3, 2020, general election.

Voting equipment usage in the November 3, 2020, general election
State	Ballot marking methods	Tabulation methods
Alabama	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Alaska	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Hand count and optical scan
Arizona	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan
Arkansas	BMDs for all voters	Optical scan
California	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs	Optical scan
Colorado	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs	Hand count and optical scan
Connecticut	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Delaware	BMDs for all voters	Optical scan
Florida	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Georgia	BMDs for all voters	Optical scan
Hawaii	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Idaho	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
Illinois	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Indiana	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Iowa	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Kansas	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT	Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
Kentucky	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Louisiana	DREs without VVPAT for all voters	DRE
Maine	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Hand count and optical scan
Maryland	Voting center jurisdiction: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs	Optical scan
Massachusetts	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Hand count and optical scan
Michigan	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Minnesota	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Hand count and optical scan
Mississippi	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Missouri	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
Montana	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Hand count and optical scan
Nebraska	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Nevada	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
New Hampshire	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Hand count and optical scan
New Jersey	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
New Mexico	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
New York	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
North Carolina	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
North Dakota	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Ohio	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Oklahoma	Hand-marked paper ballots; direct recording assistive interface for accessibility without VVPAT	Optical scan
Oregon	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs	Optical scan
Pennsylvania	Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs	Optical scan
Rhode Island	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
South Carolina	BMDs for all voters	Optical scan
South Dakota	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Tennessee	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Texas	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT	Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
Utah	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
Vermont	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs	Hand count and optical scan
Virginia	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility	Optical scan
Washington	All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan and DRE
West Virginia	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
Wisconsin	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
Wyoming	Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT	Optical scan
Source: Verified Voting, "The Verifier – Polling Place Equipment – November 2020," accessed October 15, 2020

Noteworthy events

2018

Pennsylvania

See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

On February 9, 2018, Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres issued a directive to county election officials stipulating that all voting equipment purchased thereafter provide for a paper record of all votes cast. The directive did not mandate that counties obtain new equipment, but it did establish specifications for new equipment that counties could purchase should they opt to replace their existing voting systems. In a press release, Torres said, "This directive will ensure that the next generation of the commonwealth’s voting systems conforms to enhanced standards of resiliency, auditability and security. The current voting equipment in counties works and can be audited. But new voting machines with paper ballots or voter-verifiable paper backup will improve auditability and augment security."

On April 12, 2018, Torres issued another directive to county election administrators instructing them to ensure that all voting machines, regardless of purchase date, provide for a paper record of all votes cast. Torres set a deadline of the end of 2019 for counties to comply with the directive. Torres said, "We want to bring about the system upgrades so Pennsylvania voters are voting on the most secure and auditable equipment as promptly and feasibly as possible." According to Verified Voting, as of November 2016, Pennsylvania was one of seven states in which both paper ballot and direct recording electronic (DRE) systems without paper trails were used. The other six states were Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. For more information about the voting equipment used in the United States, see this article.

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See also

• Voting
• Voter fraud

External links

Suggest a link

• Verified Voting, "Voting Equipment in the United States"
• National Convention of State Legislatures, "Elections Technology: Nine Things Legislators May Want to Know"