Voters will notice a few changes when they turn out for the Aug. 8 election in Butler County.
It will be the first time polling places use 28 new voting machines purchased earlier this year.
County officials began training election judges on the new machines Tuesday.
Voters will use these to cast ballots on two separate measures, whether the city of Poplar Bluff and Butler County should collect sales tax on online purchases. The use tax would match the sales tax collected by brick and mortar businesses within the community.
The new machines make the process much more voter driven, election judges were told.
"There's a lot more technology in this," explained trainer Melissa Kneibert of Elkins-Swyers, the company from which the machines were purchased.
These machines scan the ballot and detect errors, such as an over vote, under vote or badly marked selection.
They will tell the voter specifically what problem has occurred and in which race. Previous machines would indicate a problem, but did not identify the source.
It will then ask the voter if the ballot should be cast or returned for correction, Kneibert said.
The voter makes the selection. The election judge should not approach the voting machine unless asked, officials said.
"This is putting the voter in charge of their own ballot," she said. "It takes all the guess work out of it. It's going to put all of that in the voters hands now."
If a voter asks for help, state law requires one member from each party to be present, said county clerk Tonyi Deffendall.
"Those rules are the same as they've always been," she said.
The new machines come with new ballots.
These have ovals instead of arrows, to mirror the standardized testing used by schools and other organizations.
The ballots also need to be filled out with a Sharpie marker, which will be provided. The circle must be filled in with black ink, Kneibert said.
Other pens will work, but the Sharpie can be read much better by the machine, Deffendall said.
Gel pens stay wet longer and will smear down the ballot when it is read by the machine, Kneibert cautioned.
The county spent approximately $151,000 to purchase this equipment. The majority of money comes from the special elections account, to be paid over four years. The special elections fund earns money from fees paid during elections by other voting districts, such as cities and schools.
Any amount not covered by these fees will be paid by the general revenue fund.
The machines were needed because the previous machines were becoming outdated and difficult to maintain and update, officials have said.
"It's much like our old system, just a newer model," Deffendall said. "It's like getting a new vehicle, just 10-12 years newer."