Electronic Poll Books To Be Used During Special Election
Madison voters at the June 17th special election for District 1 Dane County Board of Supervisors will use electronic poll books instead of signing a paper poll book. The City is taking advantage of the smaller special election to observe the technology that has been developed by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and used by approximately 400 other Wisconsin communities. The e-poll books, called Badger Books, reduce human error and make both the voting process and post-election data processing more efficient.
Before receiving a ballot at the polls, voters must state their name and address, present photo identification, and sign the poll book. Paper poll books require poll workers to search for the voter’s name and ensure that the voter signs on the correct line next to their name. After the election, voter registration and voter participation data must be uploaded into the statewide voter registration database by individually scanning information related to each voter.
When electronic poll books are used, poll workers search for the voter’s name electronically and the voter signs an electronic signature pad. This eliminates the need to search through pages of a poll book and prevents the voter from signing on the wrong line. Following the election, the data from the electronic poll book can be quickly uploaded into the statewide voter registration using a few clicks instead of scanning the information of each individual voter. This allows voters to view their election participation in MyVote Wisconsin and election officials to identify any discrepancies in the data much more quickly.
“The special election gives us a chance to see how Badger Books work on a small scale,” said Acting Clerk Michael Haas. "Electronic poll books will assist with some of the routine tasks of poll workers and our staff, reducing human error and allowing them to focus on serving voters and more complex tasks.”
https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/2025-06-10/electronic-poll-books-to-be-used-during-special-election
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