Nancy wrote -- 

>  JM> Once upon a time, before the Florida fiasco in 2000, we used punch
>  JM> cards. 

> We never had that here.... the old voting machines had little levers 

  We had those till the punch cards came out in the '80s.  (The first
time I voted as a paper absentee ballot.  I was living in CO but still a
WV resident).
  After the punch cards we went to electronic voting.  This system had a
card that was inserted into the machine and an official would insert a
large device that activated the machine. One used the touch screen and at
the end all the votes were shown and if any correction needed they were
made there.  Then a button was pushed and the votes recorded and a light
came on.  The official would then reset it for the next person.
  Now they have machines with something like punch cards were the votes
are recorded (same general set up as above) and that card with markings
on it placed in the ballot box.
  We haven't had booths since the day of the lever.  Now they are free
standing machines here and there with side panels so one can't see who
one voted for.  This last time one now sits to vote rather than standing
and the screen is tilted so one can't stand and see the screen.  Or very
well anyway.

> Now, with the computerized ones, we have to mark the paper ballots with
a felt-tip pen, filling in circles... 

  Sounds almost like the old paper ballots.
  Joe
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