McKean County voters looking to practice for Tuesday’s primary
election can do so through a link from the county’s Web site at
www.mckeancountypa.org.

Once on the home page, voters can scroll down toward the bottom
of the page to a yellow strip containing the words “Click here for
electronic voting machine demo.” Then, follow the prompts through
the system.

The county has replaced the older lever-type machines with new
electronic versions from iVotronic. The machines are designed to
bring efficiency and accuracy to the voting process. All told, 54
machines will be used during the election.

The lever-type machines used in the county were decertified by
the federal government following the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential
race, which was eventually settled in the U.S. Supreme Court as a
result of Florida’s protracted ballot review. The county had to
purchase the machines through the Department of State and are
required to install them as part of the federal Help America Vote
Act (HAVA).

In Pennsylvania, the voter can only vote in the primary for
candidates in the party in which they are registered – Republicans
vote for Republican candidates, while Democrats cast ballots for
Democrats. Somebody registered as “Independent” or in one of the
minor parties may not vote for major party candidates in the
primary.