LEBANON, Pa. — When the polls open next Tuesday—Lebanon County officials will be testing ways to get voters in and out of line, using tablets.
Poll workers in 12 Lebanon County precincts will be signing in voters using an electronic "E-Poll" book, rather than a traditional paper poll book. The trial run will test whether the E-Polls help speed up wait times at polling stations.
“We want to find ways we can get ahead of that and keep the lines reasonable," said Sean Drasher, the director of Lebanon County's Board of Elections. “If it’s successful, it will greatly help us during the presidential year, with the big numbers we’re expecting.”
Drasher described the E-Poll system like using an iPad or SurfacePro and said that poll workers in the selected precincts have already been trained on how to use the system.
“Most poll workers with 10 minutes of training are able to use these without any issues," said Drasher.
“The buttons are easy to see, the buttons are easy to use, and at the end, the voter is handed off to get their ballot and move on out," said Steele Shippy, the chief growth officer for Knowink, one of the companies supplying the E-Polls for the test.
Election officials said the E-Polls will not only shorten lines at the polls but also help with election integrity.
“It takes us weeks to process the data and update the voter records to reflect who voted on Election Day," said Drasher. "Now, instead of doing it manually, with a few clicks, what would take weeks with a large team to do can be done in a few hours.”
The E-Poll book trials are taking place in the following precincts:
- Lebanon First Ward East: Washington Arms Apartment Building (303 Chestnut St., Lebanon)
- Lebanon First Ward Middle: Lebanon Church of the Brethren (400 Locust St., Lebanon)
- Lebanon Second Ward East: LCBC Church (124 S. 10th St., Lebanon)
- Lebanon Second Ward West: Messiah Lutheran Church (1800 Oak St., Lebanon)
- Myerstown North: Myerstown Community Library (199 N. College St., Myerstown)
- Myerstown South: Keystone Fire Company (25 S. Railroad St., Myerstown)
- North Annville: Bellegrove Fire Company Social Hall (1725 Black's Bridge Rd., Annville)
- North Cornwall West: Faith Baptist Church (220 S. 22nd St., Lebanon)
- North Londonderry East: Londonderry Village (1200 Grubb Rd., Palmyra)
- South Lebanon North: Masonic Temple (499 S. 14th Ave., Lebanon)
- South Lebanon South: Zion United Methodist Church of Iona (1920 S. 5th Ave., Lebanon)
- West Lebanon: West Lebanon Township Building (322 N. 22nd St., Lebanon)