Chads no more at the voting booth, there’s a new technology in town

October 31, 12:43 AMMiami Technology Careers ExaminerFrancine Adams

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I spent yesterday in Hialeah, a quaint, classic Miami town taking advantage of early voting. Armed with a folding chair, a couple of books, my reading sunglasses and a container of yogurt I embarked on my journey. I’ve been lost driving through Hialeah a few times but never explored the city or spent quality time there. I have a morbid fear of an area that has streets with two names, sometimes three. Take Red Road, which is 57th Avenue, yet can be West 4th Avenue, simultaneously mind you…only in Hialeah. When I departed from home, it was with bias, knowing I was going to get lost. Nonetheless, I took off in my car and headed for Hialeah. Soon after I turned off Red Road I was totally lost.   Undaunted, I parked my car, took to the streets proceeding to explore the neighborhood.   After all, calling  from my car window to ask for directions was not an option since I do not speak Spanish. The people I encountered were all friendly to a fault. I was enveloped in smiles and guided with genuinely friendly directions in a mix of Spanish and English to the John F. Kennedy Library on 49th Street where I would vote.

Friendly Hialeah voter

What an equally warm welcome I received from the volunteers at the polls who were functioning like a well oiled machine; guiding voters to their places in line, handing out numbers, brochures, leaflets, and providing free bottled water, smiling the entire time. Hialeah was the ideal voting location to stand in line for three or more hours, I kid you not.  I just scooted my chair along and got well caught up on my reading among the patient amity. My neighboring voters were so harmonious I couldn't tell the Republicans from the Democrats nor the Libertarians from the Non-Partisans.   After the third hour, even the hardiest voters started looking a bit limp. 

Three hours and counting

 Once inside, the pace picked up very quickly and I was whisked through the system in no time. The volunteer team had this new process down to a science, laced with the ultimate customer service. Being the techhy my attention peaked, anxious to experience the latest and greatest voting technology. From the original paper ballots of the 1800s, to the familiar lever machines prevalent in the 1960s, to the 1990s punch card system, infamous for those paper chads, I was to discover voting has evolved so we are back to writing on paper again; introducing the optical scan. Have we come full circle?

Still, it was pretty cool watching my ballot slide in and out of the scanner with no errors. Hands down, John F. Kennedy Library poll workers get my vote for the friendliest, most efficient team in South Florida. At the end of the day, I headed happily home sporting my “I voted today” sticker with the Miami Dade logo.

 
Hialeah poll worker