Several early voters in Texas reported that voting machines changed their votes when they tried to vote straight ticket. According to the Associated Press, there have been reported issues with the Hart eSlate voting machines, which are used in about 80 counties in the Lone Star state.
Over the last couple of weeks, many Massachusetts organizations have been promoting early voting to Bay State residents. Unlike Texas, this is not an issue in Boston, according to members of the Boston Election Commission and MassVOTE, a nonprofit that helps people be prepared to vote.
Ky’ron Owens, a Democratic member of the Boston Elections Commission, wrote in an email that Massachusetts handles early voting differently than Texas as the Commonwealth counts the ballots at the polling locations.
“The ballots are put through what is called the Optical Accu-Vote Scanner which basically captures votes based on the ovals filled in on the actual ballot,” Owens wrote, “so it would not be possible for the votes to be switched.”
Early voting was implemented for the first time in 2016 and allows registered voters in Massachusetts to vote starting 10 business days before the state election, The Daily Free Press reported.
“In Boston, we are committed to making voting accessible by not only allowing voting to take place at City Hall,” Owens wrote, “but also having voting available in each of the 9 city council districts at least 3 or 4 times throughout the Early Voting period.”
The difficulty with administering early voting, Owens explained, is that it begins five days after the voter registration deadline, which gives very little time to certify the thousands of registered voters.
“For those whose registration may not be processed before the beginning of Early Voting they have to vote provisionally … however, ultimately as long as the registration was submitted before the deadline the voter’s ballot will be counted,” Owens wrote.
Ian Kea, policy and communications director at MassVOTE, said Boston uses electronic poll books that guarantee an accurate election. However, not every state has these books, he explained.
Kea said states like Texas, which are more conservatively controlled, put less funds into state resources and are not investing in the proper technology to have an accurate and fair election. This is why there are so many inaccuracies and problems in the voting system, he said.
“Texas also has a pretty restrictive voting laws,” Kea said, “and because of such, you are going to have voter turnout, but when it comes to technology, Texas is a little behind.”
Early voting allows people who work nine-to-five jobs to cast their votes at a time that is more convenient for them, Kea said. He explained that Massachusetts understands that not everyone can make it to the polls Tuesday, and not allowing those people to vote would affect the Commonwealth’s diverse communities.
“This provides a tool for people in the bottom of the economic ladder to have their voices heard and not be constricted,” Kea said, “because there has been concern with the lack of early voting that they were not getting their vote casted.”
Kea said there is a distrust with the government when it comes to early voting, especially in diverse communities. He said he wants early voters to understand that the same procedures apply for both early and same-day voting.
“[Early voting] actually helps distribute the work level of election administrators so they are not all built up on election day and receiving a huge influx of people,” Kea said. “They are able to get an accurate count over this early voting period.”
Several Massachusetts residents said the problems seen in Texas are an issue, however, early voting is vital to people who cannot make it on Election Day.
Shannen Ortale, 30, of Brookline, said she found the news stories about Texas’ early voting errors alarming.
“I’m glad that Texas voters spotted the errors and have been spreading the word about them,” Ortale said. “It sounds like a relatively small number of voters were impacted, but that’s still cause for concern.”
Corbin Riedel, 31, of Framingham, said this will be his first time voting in Massachusetts since moving from Washington state.
“I know we have early voting and absentee ballots, but a majority of votes will be cast in person on the day of,” Riedel said. “I do miss the paper mail-in ballots WA had to offer though, as it made it easier to vote for those who are busy working.”
Erin Kinney, 36, of Dorchester, said early voting makes voting more accessible to people who might not have time to get to the polls on the day of the election.
“Every vote counts, so if we can get those who normally would not or could not vote to cast their votes this way, then it is a system we should support,” Kinney said. “Massachusetts could still do more to make voting even more accessible, like adding same-day voter registration.”
