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Paper ballots replace touch screens in Roanoke City, County

(Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Voters may have noticed a new way of casting a ballot Tuesday at the polls.

It may seem outdated, but new voting machines use paper ballots filled out by voters, then scanned through a machine. The process is similar to some standardized tests administered in primary schools.

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Voters in Roanoke City and Roanoke County traded touch screens for filling in boxes. Montgomery County has been using the paper ballots for two years.

Poll workers said Tuesday, they were getting use to the new voting method, while helping voters get used to it as well. And toward the end of election day, they said there weren't any major problems.

Voters didn't seem to mind the new method.

"While it feels like we're going backwards a little bit, it's probably the safest and easiest thing for the majority of people. It was faster; yeah it was easy," voter John Parrot said.

Unlike the touch screens, the optical scan machines will create a paper trail. Registrars will be required to keep copies of the ballots for two years.