By Angela Hatton
Frankfort, KY – The majority of Kentuckians are using E-scan paper ballots to cast their vote today. Deputy Secretary of State Les Fugate says 75 percent of counties are using the system for the primary, as opposed to only 40 percent in 2008. Voters fill out paper ballots that are then digitally scanned, counted, and saved. Fugate says the system helps in recounts because there is a paper trail.
"And for the first time the state board of elections will be able to report local county races. And they should be coming in, hopefully, at a faster pace than what you would normally find, y'know, at the local level."
The secretary of state's office has provided federal grants to help counties switch to E-scan. However, Fugate says the change is voluntary, and electronic ballot machines remain a certified voting system. In western Kentucky, Calloway, Graves, and Lyon counties do not use E-scan systems.