Chilton County poll workers received training this week to learn how to use new voting machines before voters head to the polls for the Primary Election on June 3.

“If someone walks through the door, we want you to be able to walk them through any situation,” Chilton County Probate Judge Bobby Martin told a group of poll workers receiving the training on Friday. “We want voters to have an easy time when they come to vote.”

Chilton County received 21 new voting machines in March, as new laws required technological upgrades in counties throughout Alabama for the upcoming election.

Anything older than 15 years old required an upgrade.

“We are now technological,” Martin said. “We have new computer systems. They are pretty smart machines. I was pretty hesitant when I first learned it was a computer system, but I think this will be a good thing for us.”

Chilton County qualified for a Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant allowing each precinct an iPad for voting.

“Each precinct is going to have an iPad which is something we have never had in this county,” Martin said. “The poll workers will be able to use the iPads to look up the voter’s list for the entire county. It will be a good tool to utilize.”

Although Martin said the upgrades in technology might pose some concerns at different polling places due to the age of many of the poll workers being over 50, he hopes the transition will be smooth.

“We are hoping that at least one poll worker at each precinct will be able to work the newer devices,” Martin said. “We have had two sessions on training the poll workers for what to expect so we hope we won’t have any issues.”

The county is leasing the new voter machines from Election Systems and Software and the model of the machines are the DS 200 Digital Precinct Scan.

Some of the newer changes for poll workers include making sure voters “blacken” an oval on the ballot as opposed to connecting the arrows, requiring a photo ID to vote and loading the precinct results onto a thumb drive.

“If the thumb drive is not returned, your precinct gets no votes,” Martin said. “It is very important we get this ‘stick’ back.”

The last day for residents in Alabama to register to vote in the June 3 election is May 23.

Martin also showed poll workers a sample ballot with a list of the different candidates running in the Primary Election.

The following list will appear on all ballots for the Republican Primary Election:

Governor

•Robert Bentley

•Stacy Lee George

•Bob Starkey

 

Lt. Governor

•Stan Cooke

•Kay Ivey

 

United States Representative for the Sixth Congressional District

•Scott Beason

•Will Brooke

•Paul DeMarco

•Chad Mathis

•Gary Palmer

•Robert Shattuck

•Tom Vigneulle

 

Secretary of State

•Reese McKinney

•John Merrill

•Jim Perdue

 

State Auditor

•Dale Peterson

•Hobbie L. Sealy

•Adam Thompson

•Jim Zeigler

 

Public Service Commission, Place No. 1

•Jeremy H. Oden

•Kathy Peterson

 

Public Service Commission, Place No. 2

•Jonathan Barbee

•Chris “Chip” Beeker Jr.

•Phillip Brown

•Terry Dunn

 

Chilton County Sheriff

•Kevin Davis

•John Shearon

 

Chilton County Revenue Commissioner

•Rex Cleckler

•Tim Little

•Joseph J. (Joe) Headley

 

Chilton County Coroner

•Awlahjaday (Day) Agee

•J. Aaron Ellison

 

Superintendent of Chilton County Board of Education

•Greg DeJarnett

•Tommy Glasscock

•Louise Pitts

 

State Republican Executive Committee Chilton County Place No. 1

•Renee Gentle Powers

•Robert L. “Bob” Sanders

 

State Republic Executive Committee Chilton County Place No. 2

•Kay Fox

•C.J. Robinson

 

Sales Tax

Do you favor the adoption of HB-597 of the 2014 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature which authorizes the county commission of Chilton County to levy an additional one-cent ($.01) sales tax which shall be used exclusively for the construction and maintenance of a hospital in Chilton County; and which shall expire on a date no later than four years after payment of bonds or warrants, or both, issued for the financing for the construction of a hospital as certified by the county commission?

•Yes

•No

 

Other offices that will not appear on every ballot in Chilton County include State House of Representatives District No. 30 and District No. 42.

 

Those living in District No. 30 will have the option to vote for:

•Clyde Chambliss Jr.

•Harris Garner

•Bill Harris

•Suzelle Josey

 

Those living in District No. 42 will have the option to vote for:

•James M. “Jimmy” Martin

•Kurt Wallace

 

The following list will appear on ballots for the Democratic Primary Election June 3:

 

Governor

•Kevin Bass

•Parker Griffith

 

State Democratic Executive Committee (Male) District No. 42

•Thomas C. Davis Jr.

•Ralph Hendrix

 

State Democratic Executive Committee (Male) District No. 81

 

•Unzell Kelley

•Greg Pierce

 

Sales Tax

Do you favor the adoption of HB-597 of the 2014 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature which authorizes the county commission of Chilton County to levy an additional one-cent ($.01) sales tax which shall be used exclusively for the construction and maintenance of a hospital in Chilton County; and which shall expire on a date no later than four years after payment of bonds or warrants, or both, issued for the financing for the construction of a hospital as certified by the county commission?

•Yes

•No