FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2010
Contact: Matthew Dunlap
207-626-8400

Secretary of State Dunlap Highlights Two Election Services:
Maine's Voter Information Lookup & Maine's Accessible Voting System

AUGUSTA, MAINE – Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, while encouraging all eligible Maine citizens to cast a ballot in the upcoming June 8, 2010 Primary and Special Referendum Election, is highlighting two election services, Maine's Voter Information Lookup and Maine's Accessible Voting System, which are intended to make sure it is both possible and easy for every voter to participate.

Maine's Voter Information Lookup allows citizens to simply enter their residential address to learn where their polling place is located and who will appear on the primary ballots in their districts.  The service is available online at http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_voter_info.

Maine's Accessible Voting System (AVS) , available in each voting place since 2006, is designed to ensure that all voters, including those with a variety of disabilities, can vote with privacy and independence.  The AVS allows voters to cast their ballots using a telephone and fax combination that will be set up at their local voting place.  The AVS ballot will be presented as an audio ballot and the voter will make their selections using the phone keypad or an optional accessible input device (such as a button switch or even the voter's own sip-and-puff device).  Once the voter has finished voting, the system will use the fax to present the voter with a paper ballot marked with the voter's choices.  The voter will then take the paper ballot from the fax machine and put it into the official ballot box where it will be counted with all the other ballots.  While it is anticipated that most voters will continue to vote by manually marking a paper ballot, any voter may elect to use the AVS instead.  Voters wishing to practice using the AVS prior to Election Day may take advantage of the “Preview & Practice” option that allows voters to call a toll-free telephone number and listen to their audio ballot before going to vote.  For more information on how to use the “Preview & Practice”, please visit the following website or contact your municipal clerk:  www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/hava.

We've developed these services." explained Secretary Dunlap, “to make certain that every Maine voter can vote privately and independently; and to make sure they can easily find out where to vote and what candidates will appear on their ballots.”

Other online resources made available by the Secretary of State for the June election include:

the Online Absentee Ballot Request Service, and upcoming elections information.