Voters in five Oregon counties will get to vote using the iPad this year — and Apple even donated five of the tablets to the cause, reports “Wired” (http://macte.ch/Sqxoz). Voters use the iPad to fill out their ballots, which are still printed on paper.
The iPads run special software that cost the state US$75,000 to develop, says “Wired.” Voters can mail in their printed ballot, or place it in a designated ballot box. Those with poor vision can even adjust the iPad’s screen colors and text size, or have onscreen text read the ballot contents aloud.
Election officials told “Wired” they believe Oregon is the first state in the US to implement iPads as a voting tool. To roll out the program statewide, though, Oregon would need about two iPads per county, which would run the state about $36,000.