New voting machines headed to all polls in Burlington County

MOUNT HOLLY — You’ve seen these two machines before, if you’ve engaged in early voting in Burlington County since 2021.

And Palmyra Borough residents have seen them very recently, if they took part in a school district referendum held on March 12.

On June 4, all Burlington residents who turn out on primary election day will get a look at the electronic voting machines replacing the push button machines in general use here for about a quarter century. The new system is a different process.

Here’s what you need to know about them:

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Residents will cast their votes on “ballot marker” machines that use adjustable touch screens. Users can enlarge text and switch among languages. The machines also are designed so voters with disabilities can use them with less effort.

The ballot marker machines generate paper ballots — a touchstone of vote security — that then will be inserted into “machine tabulators.” The tabulators scan the paper ballots and record its selections.

County spokesman David Levinsky said about $4.9 million was spent to outfit all regular polling stations with the two machines. That sum bought 513 ballot marker machines and 239 machine tabulators from Dominion Voting Systems.

Levinsky said those machines essentially are the same as ones introduced here in 2021 but for use only at the seven early voting sites in the county. The $1 million tab for that equipment was picked up by New Jersey, since they were a state-mandated use.

County Superintendent of Elections Dawn Marie Addiego said this primary election is the correct moment to make a transition to all-around use.

“The new machines have been extensively vetted and are certified by both the federal government and the State of New Jersey, plus thousands of Burlington County voters have already used them during the early voting periods the last three years,” Addiego said.

“The equipment is highly secure, easy to use, and they produce a voter verifiable paper record of every ballot, so there’s an additional level of security that was absent from our older fleet,” she said.

Palmrya School District said it encountered no issues in last month's voting.

“2024 is expected to be a high-turnout election year, so we are grateful to have new and reliable equipment in place with the added security of a voter-verifiable paper trail,” Joseph Dugan, chairman of the county Board of Elections, said.

Levinsky said the county has disposed of the older voting machines.

Addiego’s office is planning events to give voters a chance to familiarize themselves with the equipment before Election Day. Her office is the custodian for voting machines.

On April 16, the machines will be at Seneca High School in Tabernacle to coincide with New Jersey High School Voter Registration Week. Students who are 18 or turning 18 before the election can register. May 14 is the registration deadline to vote in the primary election.

The Elections Office also will team with the County Clerk’s Office and its mobile outreach team to register voters and answer questions at the following schools or special events.

• April 21: Burlington County Earth Fair at Historic Smithville Park, 803 Smithville Road, Eastampton.

• April 22: Medford Leas, 1 Medford Leas Way, Medford.

• April 27: Burlington County Farmers Market, 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown.

• May 4: Palmyra Day.

• May 29: Willingboro High School.

• June 6: Burlington County Senior Expo, The Mason Village Fellowship Center, 1114 Oxmead Road, Burlington Township.

• June 12: Northern Burlington County Regional High School.

“My office is looking for additional locations and events to visit and conduct outreach. We can also send voter registration forms to organizations and schools that want to make them available for their eligible members or students to register,” said Addiego.

Contact the Elections Office at (609) 265-5111 to get outreach or registration forms.

Addiego said the new machines also will be displayed at the County Corner location at Moorestown Mall on Saturdays, along with office staff.

Early Voting for primary contests starts on Wednesday, May 29. It will end on Sunday, June 2.

Voters also may request a vote-by-mail ballot that may be sent via the mail, put in a secure drop box, or hand delivered to the election board.

Any registered voter can request a vote-by-mail application online from the county Clerk’s Office at https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/996/Vote-by-Mail-Information. Undeclared voters will need to declare as members of either the Republican or Democrat parties to receive a ballot.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Electronic voting machines in full use for Burlington County primary