An effective voting system allows citizens to express their preference for public policy decisions in a secure and private manner. The system itself includes everything from deciding who can vote to how they vote, from how the votes are counted to how a winner is determined. This illustrated guide focuses on the way votes are counted as well as the methods and equipment used in the United States:
- Pre-Ballots
- Paper Ballots, Manual Counting (Ballot Box)
- Mechanical Lever Voting-Counting Machines (Lever-Pull)
- Electromechanical Voting-Counting Machines (Punch Cards)
- Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Counting Machines (Touchscreens)
- Paper Ballots, Optical Scan (Optical Scan)
- Paper Ballots, Vote-By-Mail
