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Officials say poll pads cut paperwork, speed check-in and reduce errors
Summary
An agency official told county and municipal staff that tablet-based poll pads dramatically reduce printing, hand-stamping and manual data entry, citing high 2024 absentee and same-day registration volumes as the reason paper rosters are no longer practical.
An agency official at the briefing said poll pads have become “invaluable to administrators across the county,” arguing the devices eliminate weeks of roster printing and manual marking that paper systems demand. The official noted that poll pads allow staff to download a file from the statewide voter registration system (SVRS) and upload it into the devices within minutes, which speeds check-in and reduces staff time.
The official framed the change as one driven by volume: in 2016, paper rosters were manageable, but in 2024 the office saw “53,000 people vote absentee in the last 2 weeks before the election, and 40,000 of those in the last week alone,” creating a workload the official described as incompatible with hand-stamping. “Hand stamping that many names is not sustainable,” the official said. The official added that the digital workflow reduces opportunities for human error and the risk of someone voting absentee and then attempting to vote again at a polling place.
