Blair County's New Voting System Makes a Successful Debut

Voters who went to the polls last Tuesday to cast their votes for their favorite candidates were met with a new, simplified way to vote.

Adhering to the state mandate that all votes have a paper trail, Blair County’s new paper ballot system made its debut.

Last April, the county elections board voted to purchase the new voting system from Elections Systems and Software of Omaha, Neb., at a cost of $894,307.

The new system replaced the e-slate machines which required voters to navigate the ballot on a screen using a dial to move to each candidate.

With the new system, voters fill in a paper bal...