All voters in Columbia County will vote using the Unisyn Freedom Vote Tablet to mark their ballot and the OpenElect Voting Optical Scanner to cast their completed ballot. If you have questions about voting in Columbia County, contact the county election office.
How to Vote Using the Ballot Marking Device:
1. Getting started
- After you check in, a poll worker will direct you to a voting station and set you up with the ballot marking device.
- Touch the START button on the screen to begin voting.
2. Make your selections
- Make your selections by touching the screen. Touch the circle next to the candidate or response.
- You can switch between contests on the ballot by swiping the screen to the left or right.
3. Review your selections
- After the ballot is complete, you will see a review screen. Contests that may need additional review will be highlighted in red.
- Check that you have voted all the contests you want to vote and confirm your selections.
- You do not have to vote every contest.
- Check the maximum number of candidates you are allowed to select for each office.
- You may select fewer than the maximum number of candidates.
- To make a change, select the contest on the screen. This will take you to a screen where you can change your selection.
4. Print your ballot
- If you are satisfied with your selections, touch the DONE button and then the PRINT button on the screen.
- Your ballot will print on the printer connected to the ballot marking device.
- Confirm your selections on the printed ballot.
- If you want to make a change after the ballot is printed, you will need help from a poll worker to start over.
- Give your spoiled ballot to the poll worker.
5. Submit your ballot
- Take your printed ballot to the ballot scanner.
- Line your ballot up with the arrows on the scanner and insert it.
- A poll worker may be nearby to help you.
- If you see a message saying the ballot was NOT successfully cast, you may need to review your ballot again.
- If you do not understand the message on the screen, ask for help from a poll worker.
- Your ballot is cast when you see a green light above the slot where you inserted your ballot.
Accessible Features
If you have questions about the accessible devices or features, contact the county election office.
Devices
The following devices are available to use with the Unisyn ballot marking device:
- Tactile keypad
- Has buttons of different shapes labeled in braille
- Binary input/ dual switch jack
- For use with a sip-and-puff or other binary device
- Located on the tactile keypad
- Audio jack on the side of the ballot marking device
Ask for help from a poll worker to set up the equipment you intend to use.
Features
The Unisyn Freedom Vote Tablet ballot marking device has the following accessible settings. You can access these features by touching the settings icon before you begin the voting session.
- Screen reader- Reads the text of the ballot aloud over headphones.
- Hide screen- Turns off the screen when the screen reader is in use for privacy.
- Audio volume- Changes the volume when using headphones.
- Audio speed- Changes the speed at which the ballot is read when using the screen reader.
- Text size- Changes the size of the words on the screen.
- Brightness- Changes the brightness of the screen.
- Contrast- Changes the contrast between the text and the background of the screen.
Instructional Videos
Instructional Video for the Unisyn Freedom Vote Tablet Ballot Marking Device
Instructional video for the Unisyn Freedom Vote Tablet Ballot Marking Device
A recommended screen resolution of 1920x1080 for the best viewing experience.
Instructional Video for the Unisyn OpenElect Voting Optical Scan:
Instructional Video for the Unisyn OpenElect Voting Optical Scan
A recommended screen resolution of 1920x1080 for the best viewing experience.