Here's how your vote will be counted during the Illinois primary election

Hope Gadson, Springfield State Journal- Register
·2 min read

By now, you've likely heard the Illinois primary election is just days away. How does your vote get counted, though?

During the primary election on March 19 in Sangamon County there will be two different machines used for voting, the ExpressVote and the DS200.

Both machines have completely different purposes, but each will be helpful.

The ExpressVote machine is an ADA compliant machine designed to help those that are visually or physically disabled vote unassisted. The machine is made with a touchscreen, a voter would insert a ballot then mark the ballot.

Choices and instructions are displayed on the screen and can be heard through headphones. Voters can enter their selection by touching the screen, pressing keys on the Braille keypad or using a personal device like a foot pedal or a sip-and-puff.

Other features on the machine include adjustable volume, zoom mode and high contrast mode for those who are visually impaired.

More: Question about where to vote for the Illinois primary election? We have you covered

The ExpressVote machine does not cast ballots or count votes; it must be inserted into a second machine, the DS200.

DS200 or Digital Scan 200 is made to count and take record of election results. Voters will insert their ballots into this machine and at the end of the day the machine will count the votes for a poll.

The results are then stored on a secure recording media that is specifically setup for every election.

The DS200 accepts two types of ballots: an optical scan ballot which is the regular ballot used in every election and ballot scan cards from ExpressVote machines.

No matter what ballot is used it will not be counted until it is inserted into a DS200 machine.

For more information you can contact the Sangamon County Election Office at 217-753-8683 or visit the Sangamon County Clerk website.

Contact Hope Gadson: hgadson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: These 2 machines are how your votes get counted in Illinois