Primary on Feb. 28 to utilize vote centers

Changes are coming to the way Yuma County residents vote. And registered Republican and Green Party voters will be the first to test the new vote centers when they head to the polls this month to cast their ballots in the Presidential Preference Election.

In previous elections, residents could only vote at their specified polling place, resulting in numerous people waiting in long lines only to be told by an election official they were in the wrong location.

But with the implementation of vote centers and their centralized database, the days of aimlessly driving around town searching in vain for your polling place may be over.

“What this means is that we will not have frustrated voters show up at the wrong place and take additional time out of their day to look for their correct precinct,” said Yuma County Recorder Robyn Stallworth Pouquette. “And we hope with the new technology, it will result in shorter wait times at the polls and quicker election results on election night ... because they will reduce the number of provisional ballots we have to count.”

To accomplish this, each vote center will have e-poll books, similar in size to an iPad, which will contain the information for every registered voter and every type of ballot in the county.

“Before, we had binders with only the voter information for that precinct. Now, instead of 39 separate binders, we transferred all voter data from every precinct and placed it into the e-poll books,” Pouquette said. “So no matter which of the 11 vote centers you choose, you just have to swipe your driver's license and your ballot will be printed right there for you.”

Pouquette said by reducing the number of polling sites, the county could save approximately $50,000.

For those residents concerned about the integrity of elections, Pouquette said vote centers are linked together through a private connection and once a person casts a vote, it is recorded immediately to prevent people from voting multiple times.

“So if you already voted you will be red-flagged throughout the system and won't be able to get another ballot,” she said.

In addition to cost savings and convenience, another benefit is an increase in the number of days a resident has to cast a vote.
“We began early voting for the Presidential Preference Election with the e-poll books on Feb. 2 and so far everything is working out really well,” she said. “And we will also be open for voting on the weekend before the primary on Tuesday, Feb. 28.”

From now until Feb. 24, registered Republicans and Green party voters can cast a ballot for their candidate at the County Recorder's office located at 410 S. Maiden Lane, Suite B in Yuma from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

On Feb. 25 and 26, voters will be able to cast a vote at for the first time on a Saturday or Sunday.

“The nice thing about the (Recorder's office) being open the weekend before an election is that people can just stop by on their way to the mall or dinner and vote. It really gives a lot of options to people who might otherwise be busy on election day with work or running around with their kids.”

As of now, vote centers are being used on a trial basis since the Yuma County Board of Supervisors only authorized their use in this primary election. If the vote centers are a success, and with Department of Justice approval, Pouquette hopes the board will allow them to be used in future elections.

For more information on voting or vote centers, you may contact the Recorder's office at (928) 373-6020 or www.yumacountyaz.gov.

Darren DaRonco can be reached at (928) 539-6857 or ddaronco@yumasun.com. You can follow him on twitter @YSDarrend or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YSDarrenD.