Philadelphia has new voting machines, but do you know how to use them?
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- When voters head to the polls Tuesday in Philadelphia they are going to be greeted by brand new machines, that city officials say are easy to use and more secure.
But these aren't quite as simple as the old lever or push-button machines city voters have been using. These new machines combine an electronic touch screen with paper ballots.
WATCH: How to use Philly's new voting machines
It's a state-mandated change to upgrade old voting systems for security reasons, but after years of using the same technology, some voters wanted to test out the new equipment before heading out on Election Day.
"I voted my whole life and I wanted to be sure everything was going to be as simple as it has always been," said Kathleen Meyer-Keogh, who lives and votes in Center City.
The big difference for the city's purpose is the new machine will generate a paper-verifiable ballot.
"I think there's an extra layer of security in the sense that there's a paper backup, so now voters will actually see and verify what their official vote is going to be," said Deputy Commissioner Nick Custodio.
Opponents argue the new machines are hackable, but election workers say they've tested it and haven't had any issues. Additionally, on election night, police will take the digital information on flash drives to 10 different locations in the city to tally. Officers will also transport the paper ballots to be stored.
"The old machines folded up and were easily able to be carried," explained Custodio. "The new ones are on wheels and are designed to be wheeled into places." A side effect of the new voting machines being on wheels is about 20 polling locations around the city had to be moved from places with stairs to ones with ramps, so every polling location is now wheelchair accessible.
"Our rollout in the mayoral general election, as opposed to the presidential primary, is one of the smartest things we did," said Custodio.
It's the first test run, but voters at City Hall seemed confident about Election Day. "I thought it was wonderful," said Meyer-Keogh. "I think voters are going to have an easy time tomorrow, I hope so anyway."
