By Sheila AshNext month, voters in more than 45 counties across Kentucky will cast ballots for the first time in a general election on a new digital scan voting system called eScan.Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Les Fugate says the system is easy to use."The equipment is much like what you would see if you were taking the ACT or SAT. You just fill in the bubble next to the name that you prefer and then you’ll slide it in to a reader. And that reader will tabulate the votes as everything is going through, but it also takes a digital image of the ballot. So that allows us to have a three way check on the ballot because it actually stores the paper ballot," he said. Fugate says having the paper ballot allows for a hand recount if needed. Jefferson County has used similar technology called optical scan for over 20 years. That system also produces a voter verified paper record.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.