Michigan election officials and Dominion Voting Systems have issued guidance regarding an issue affecting a small number of voters with disabilities in the state. The issue pertains to Dominion Voting Assistance Terminals (VAT) used by voters with disabilities who require special assistance marking their ballots.
In a news release issued the day before early in-person voting began in Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office highlighted the issue with the VATs. The guidance explains that voters using these machines will not be able to select a straight-party option at the beginning of the process and then choose individual candidates from another party for specific races. Instead, voters looking to split their ticket will need to select candidates for each race individually from the outset.
It is important to note that this issue will not alter anyone’s votes or prevent individuals from voting or making their preferred selections. It will simply make the process more inconvenient for some voters using the VATs, according to Benson’s office.
In a separate statement on the same day, Dominion issued a reminder for Michigan election officials and voters using the device to carefully follow instructions on how to successfully complete and verify their ballot selections before casting their vote.
Benson reassured the public that election officials are actively working to ensure that voters are informed about the programming issue and are able to vote on every section of the ballot.
