Table of Contents Categories
  • Voting policy concepts and issues
  • Election policy tracking
  • One-off pages, active
    •   Encyclosphere.org ENCYCLOREADER
      supported by EncyclosphereKSF

    Voting methods and equipment by state

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 24 min

    Election Policy Banner 2024.png


    Election Policy VNT Logo.png
    Election Information
    2024 election dates and deadlines
    Voting in 2024
    Voter registration
    Early voting
    Absentee/mail-in voting
    All-mail voting
    Voter ID laws
    State poll opening and closing times
    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
    Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its election administration.

    The types of voting equipment used in the United States vary from state to state. Some jurisdictions use electronic devices to record votes while others use paper ballots. Tabulation methods likewise vary from state to state.[1][2]

    Types of voting equipment[edit]

    The following types of voting equipment are in use in the United States or have been used in recent years:[1]

    • Optical scan paper ballot systems: Voters mark their votes by filling in an oval, box, or similar shape on a paper ballot. The paper ballots are scanned either at the polling place or at a central location.[1]
    • Direct recording electronic (DRE) systems: DRE systems employ computers that record votes directly into the computers' memory. These interfaces may incorporate touchscreens, dials, or mechanical buttons. The voter's choices are stored by the computer on a cartridge or hard drive. Some DRE systems are also equipped with Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) printers, which produce paper records that can be preserved to be tabulated in case of an audit or recount.[1]
    • Ballot-marking devices and systems (BMDs): A BMD "allows for the electronic presentation of a ballot, electronic selection of valid contest options, and the production of a human-readable paper ballot, but does not make any other lasting record of the voter’s selections." Initially used primarily to accommodate voters with disabilities, BMDs are used by all voters in some locations.[1]

    Voting equipment by state[edit]

    The table below shows what voting equipment was used in each state as of August 2024.[1]

    Voting equipment usage as of August 13, 2024
    State Ballot marking methods Tabulation methods
    Alabama Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Alaska Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs and DREs with VVPAT Hand Count, optical scan, and DRE
    Arizona Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Arkansas BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    California All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Colorado All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Connecticut Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Delaware Ballot Marking Devices for all voters BMD/Tabulator
    Florida Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Georgia BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    Hawaii All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Idaho Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Illinois Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Indiana Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Iowa Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Kansas Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs BMD/Tabulator and optical scan
    Kentucky BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    Louisiana DREs without VVPAT for all voters DRE
    Maine Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Maryland Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Massachusetts Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Michigan Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Minnesota Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Mississippi Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT Optical scan
    Missouri Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Hand count and optical scan
    Montana Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Nebraska Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Nevada All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: BMDs and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    New Hampshire Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    New Jersey Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT BMD/Tabulator, optical scan, DRE, and accessible interface records votes directly into optical scan tabulation
    New Mexico Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    New York Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    North Carolina Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    North Dakota Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Ohio Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT BMD/Tabulator, optical scan, and DRE
    Oklahoma Hand marked paper ballots; Direct recording assistive interface without VVPAT for accessibility Optical scan, accessible interface records votes directly into optical scan tabulation
    Oregon All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Pennsylvania Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs BMD/Tabulator and optical scan
    Rhode Island Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    South Carolina BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    South Dakota Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Tennessee Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs and DREs with and without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Texas Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs and DREs without VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Utah All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Vermont All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Virginia Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Washington All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    West Virginia Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT BMD/Tabulator and optical scan
    Wisconsin Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs and DREs with VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Wyoming Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Source: Verified Voting, "The Verifier – Election Day Equipment – November 2024," accessed August 13, 2024

    Voting equipment by state in past elections[edit]

    2020[edit]

    The table below shows what voting equipment was used in each state for the November 3, 2020, general election.[3]

    Voting equipment usage in the November 3, 2020, general election
    State Ballot marking methods Tabulation methods
    Alabama Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Alaska Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Hand count and optical scan
    Arizona Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan
    Arkansas BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    California All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Colorado All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Connecticut Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Delaware BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    Florida Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Georgia BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    Hawaii All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Idaho Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Illinois Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Indiana Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Iowa Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Kansas Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Kentucky Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Louisiana DREs without VVPAT for all voters DRE
    Maine Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Hand count and optical scan
    Maryland Voting center jurisdiction: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Massachusetts Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Hand count and optical scan
    Michigan Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Minnesota Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Hand count and optical scan
    Mississippi Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with and without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Missouri Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Montana Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Hand count and optical scan
    Nebraska Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Nevada All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    New Hampshire Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Hand count and optical scan
    New Jersey Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    New Mexico Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    New York Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    North Carolina Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    North Dakota Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Ohio Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Oklahoma Hand-marked paper ballots; direct recording assistive interface for accessibility without VVPAT Optical scan
    Oregon All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Pennsylvania Hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Optical scan
    Rhode Island Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    South Carolina BMDs for all voters Optical scan
    South Dakota Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Tennessee Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Texas Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs without VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Utah All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    Vermont All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots and BMDs Hand count and optical scan
    Virginia Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs for accessibility Optical scan
    Washington All-mail ballots. Election Day voting centers: hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan and DRE
    West Virginia Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Wisconsin Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Hand count, optical scan, and DRE
    Wyoming Hand-marked paper ballots, BMDs, and DREs with VVPAT Optical scan
    Source: Verified Voting, "The Verifier – Polling Place Equipment – November 2020," accessed April 25, 2024

    Noteworthy events[edit]

    2018[edit]

    Pennsylvania[edit]

    See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

    On February 9, 2018, Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres issued a directive to county election officials stipulating that all voting equipment purchased thereafter provide for a paper record of all votes cast. The directive did not mandate that counties obtain new equipment, but it did establish specifications for new equipment that counties could purchase should they opt to replace their existing voting systems. In a press release, Torres said, "This directive will ensure that the next generation of the commonwealth’s voting systems conforms to enhanced standards of resiliency, auditability and security. The current voting equipment in counties works and can be audited. But new voting machines with paper ballots or voter-verifiable paper backup will improve auditability and augment security."[4][5]

    On April 12, 2018, Torres issued another directive to county election administrators instructing them to ensure that all voting machines, regardless of purchase date, provide for a paper record of all votes cast. Torres set a deadline of the end of 2019 for counties to comply with the directive. Torres said, "We want to bring about the system upgrades so Pennsylvania voters are voting on the most secure and auditable equipment as promptly and feasibly as possible." According to Verified Voting, as of November 2016, Pennsylvania was one of seven states in which both paper ballot and direct recording electronic (DRE) systems without paper trails were used. The other six states were Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. For more information about the voting equipment used in the United States, see this article.[4][5][6][7][8]

    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker[edit]

    Election tracker site ad.png


    State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.

    Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.

    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:

    • Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
    • We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
    • And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan

    The Ballot Bulletin[edit]

    Ballot-Bulletin-Header-D2.jpg


    The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

    Recent issues[edit]

    Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.

    Subscribe[edit]

    Enter your email address below to subscribe to The Ballot Bulletin.



    See also[edit]


    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Verified Voting, "The Verifier – Polling Place Equipment – November 2024," accessed April 25, 2024 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "verify" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "verify" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "verify" defined multiple times with different content
    2. ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "America's Voting Machines at Risk," accessed April 25, 2024
    3. ↑ Verified Voting, "The Verifier – Polling Place Equipment – November 2020," accessed April 25, 2024
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pennsylvania Pressroom, "Wolf Administration Directs that New Voting Systems in the Commonwealth Provide Paper Record," February 9, 2018
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Associated Press, "Pennsylvania to require voting machines with paper backup," February 9, 2018
    6. ↑ Verified Voting, "The Verifier - Polling Place Equipment - November 2018," accessed February 14, 2018
    7. ↑ BuzzFeed News, "Pennsylvania Will Eliminate Paperless Voting Machines In Time For The 2020 Election," April 12, 2018
    8. ↑ PA.gov, "Department of State Tells Counties to Have New Voting Systems in Place by End of 2019," April 12, 2018
    v • e
    Ballotpedia
    About
    Editorial Content
    Geoff Pallay, Director of Editorial Content and Editor-in-Chief • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Daniel Anderson, Managing Editor • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor • Cory Eucalitto, Managing Editor • Mandy Gillip, Managing Editor • Doug Kronaizl, Local Elections Project Manager • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Thomas Ellis • Frank Festa • Nicole Fisher • Brianna Hosea • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Jaime Healy-Plotkin • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Nathan Maxwell • Ellie Mikus • Jackie Mitchell • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Maddie Sinclair Johnson • Abbey Smith • Ethan Sorell • Janie Valentine • Joel Williams • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox • Mercedes Yanora
    Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Original source: https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_methods_and_equipment_by_state
    Encyclosphere.org EncycloReader is supported by the EncyclosphereKSF