Voting centers and tablets could replace precincts and voter printouts
By Steve Jess | Arizona Public Media
Pima County is looking at modernizing its election system, but the proposed change is facing some scrutiny.
The county is considering consolidating its 240 precinct polling places into 100 voting centers and switching to electronic instead of paper voter lists.
County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly says it would mean a voter could cast their ballot at any polling place in the county, but with greater security.
“The human error of marking the wrong line for a voter is eliminated. Ballots are only printed as someone checks in. Someone being able to print a stack of ballots and stuff the box is literally impossible,” Cázares-Kelly said Friday.
Cázares-Kelly and interim elections director Mary Martinson presented a plan to the county’s Election Integrity Commission.
Instead of printing hundreds of bulky lists of registered voters, the county would distribute digital tablets called e-books containing the voter rolls to each polling place. Unlike printed lists, the e-books could be updated instantly if a voter changes their address.
