May 17, 2006 By Amy Zalar 4 min read

A collection of campaign workers handing out candidate literature amid chilly and wet conditions at Third Presbyterian Church in Uniontown Tuesday afternoon overwhelmingly said voting on Fayette County’s new electronic machines was no problem at all. “It was a piece of cake,” said Patty Buchko, who was campaigning for Fayette County Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites for the Democratic nomination for state representative in the 51st District, during a lull in the voting.

Joe Fani, another Vicites worker, said the machines were easier than the lever machines.

“I love them,” Fani said.

He said one time there was a problem with the county’s old lever machines where the slots were locked out. With the new machines, Fani said the slots can’t be locked out because there are no slots. “You can’t fool with these machines,” Fani said.

Tuesday’s primary marked the first time for Fayette County voters to use electronic machines. Earlier this year, the county purchased the eSlate voting system from Hart Intercivic of Texas for approximately $1.2 million for the county’s 105 voting precincts. The federal government mandated the purchase, and the county received $1.1 million in grant funding toward the purchase to replace the lever machines.

The system is not touch screen; instead voters must turn a dial and push buttons to register their choices on the screen. Prior to Tuesday’s primary, the county undertook an extensive public outreach campaign to get voters to view the machines, visiting sites throughout the county to give voters the opportunity to test out the new system.

Lauren Mahoney and Jessica Evans, who were campaigning for Mahoney’s father, Timothy S. Mahoney, who was also seeking the Democratic nomination for state representative in the 51st District, both said the machines were easy to use.

Lauren Mahoney, 20, said she was glad to see the updated machines at the polls, adding that it is about time the county updated their voting equipment. Evans, who was voting for the first time, said she thought it was fun.

Lauren Mahoney said although the machines were easy to use, she hopes that voter apathy doesn’t spread to the elderly voters because they are afraid of using the machines. “The apathy is bad enough with young people,” Lauren Mahoney said.

Republican Bill Hubbard, who was campaigning for committee races, said the new machines were easier than the lever machines. “I thought they were dead easy,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard, a 7th Ward committeeman, said he is happy that his party is moving forward in the county, which is evidenced by the number of candidates on the Republican ballot.

Margaret Dursa said the machines were a cinch to use.

“They were great and the people who showed how to use them were fantastic,” Dursa said.

Only Patty Gulino said she had difficulty with the machines, but she added that it was probably because she was in a hurry to get done and hand out campaign paraphernalia. Gulino said the turnout had been light, probably due to the “lovely spring weather.”

Angela M. Zimmerlink, chairwoman of the Fayette County commissioners and member of the Fayette County Election Board, said Tuesday evening that she had visited between 15 and 20 precincts and overall the reaction from voters was positive.

“I was pleasantly surprised. I got more positive than negative comments,” Zimmerlink said about the eSlate machines. Zimmerlink added that the workers she saw had done a pretty good job. She said although there were new judges of election and poll workers at some precincts to help with the new machines, the workers were doing a good job.

Zimmerlink said workers at some of the precincts she visited said the turnout was low, while workers at other precincts said neither the rain nor the weather, nor the new machines caused voters to stay home.

Fayette County party officials were anticipating a low voter turnout.