Press Release

BOE sponsors opportunity to educate residents on ballots & new technology - Aug 26th

Event Scheduled For Aug. 26 Will Provide Residents With Tools To Vote Independently, With Confidence

FONDA - County Residents will have the opportunity to learn how to vote independently and with confidence at an upcoming event. Hosted by the Resource Center for Independent Living (347 West Main St., Amsterdam) and sponsored by the Montgomery County Board of Elections, this event will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 26 (10 a.m.-2 p.m. & 6-8 p.m.). One major goal will be to demonstrate and reach out to individuals with disabilities, who may feel intimidated by new voting technology. Demonstrations will be held in one-hour time slots.

This is an excellent opportunity for voters who can benefit from using the ballot marking devices to try them out before Election Day. It is also an excellent opportunity for new voters and voters who face barriers to get assistance from voting advocates.

"It is hoped that more voters who can benefit will feel comfortable using the Ballot Marking Device for future primaries and elections," explains Cohen, Director of Voting Access Solutions. VAS is a statewide, non-partisan consulting firm established in 2008, based out of Troy, whose goal is to remove barriers for all citizens from equal access to the electoral process.

The Ballot Marking Device or BMD is an accessible voting system, which will allow all voters who currently cannot independently mark a paper ballot, the opportunity to vote independently and privately. The device uses assistive technology in order to mark the ballot for individuals. There is one available in every polling place in Montgomery County.

Although this event is free and open to the public, a RSVP is encouraged to votingaccesssolutions@gmail.com. This is a non-partisan, hands-on demonstration hosted by the Resource Center for Independent Living.

"Montgomery County Commissioners Smith and Duchessi should be commended for their effort to inform individuals with disabilities of their choices when voting," said Cohen.

For more information, contact Montgomery County Board of Elections at 518-853-8180 or Susan Cohen at votingaccesssolutions@gmail.com or 518-495-5787.

Becoming an Empowered Voter - Flyer (PDF)