Casting a ballot in Allegheny County starts with filling in bubbles on paper, but the process does not end when the ballot disappears into the voting machine.
Most voters in the county use a hand-marked paper ballot, according to a community announcement. Once voters review their selections, they take the ballot to a DS200 or DS300 precinct scanner.
The scanner reads the completed ballot before depositing it into a secure container. A message displayed on the scanner's screen lets voters know when their ballot has been successfully cast.
If the scanner detects a problem with the ballot, it alerts the voter before the ballot is successfully cast, giving the voter an opportunity to address the issue.
How the ExpressVote works
Allegheny County polling places also have an ExpressVote
ballot-marking device available.
Instead of filling in selections by hand, voters using the ExpressVote make their selections on a screen. The device then produces a physical ballot showing those selections.
The voter can review the paper ballot before submitting it for scanning. The ballot is then scanned and deposited into a secure container, just like a hand-marked ballot.
That means the ExpressVote is a ballot-marking device, rather than a system that eliminates the paper ballot. In both processes, voters have a physical ballot representing their selections.
The Pennsylvania Department of State provides more information and demonstrations of Allegheny County's voting system at pa.gov.
This story was produced by reporter Gabby Sartori, [gsartori@usatodayco.com], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Allegheny County voting machines handle your ballot
