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TextElectoral Board Goes High-Tech with Introduction of Electronic Look-Up Device at Polls
Fairfax County Office of Public
Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 703-324-2935, FAX 703-324-2010
Oct. 15, 2004
Electoral Board Goes High-Tech with Introduction
of
Electronic Look-Up Device at Polls
As Election Day approaches on Nov. 2, the Electoral Board is planning for a sharp increase in the number of voters. The turnout will likely double the voters in the 2003 general election, and if voter registrations are any indication, turnout may well surpass the last presidential election in 2000.
Many voters turn out for presidential elections who do not ordinarily vote other years. This will help drive up the numbers, and potentially fuel some confusion among voters about their polling places.
In anticipation of this, the Electoral Board has taken several steps to make polling place information more available to voters. On Election Day, poll workers will be using Electronic Look-Up Devices to quickly look up the correct polling places for those voters unsure if they are in the right place.
In addition, for the first time this year, precinct maps and descriptions are now available online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb/precincts.htm.
Poll workers will be approaching voters as they arrive at the polling place to check their information and verify their polling place prior to the voters getting in line. This should allow the poll workers to redirect voters to the right polling location more efficiently and prevent voters from spending time waiting in line at the wrong location. In addition, this should eliminate many phone calls to the General Registrar's Office to verify this same information.
Poll workers will be able to use three methods to retrieve the location of a person's polling place:
- Social Security or ID numbers - Utilizing a voter's Social Security number or county issued Voter ID card
- Driver's License - Scanning a Driver's License bar code
- Name - Utilizing data from any acceptable form of ID and hand entering it into the Electronic Look-Up Devices
Once the voter's information is found, if the voter is registered at a different polling place or is registered to vote absentee, then a receipt can be printed from the Electronic Look-Up Devices with the correct polling place and given to the voter.
For more information on voter registration or voting locations, absentee
ballots or precinct information, contact the Office of the Electoral
Board, 703-324-4735, TTY 711, or the General Registrar's Office at
703-222-0776, TTY 711.
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