I commend the Moore County Board of Commissioners and Board of Elections on the voting machines currently in use. They are simple and very readable. It is impossible to vote for two candidates for the same office, and, when finished with the selections, the machine allows for review before the final vote.

Best of all, these machines are not subject to hand counting. Experienced election officials have stated that a 2 percent to 5 percent error rate is common when hand counting is used.

During my working days, I lived and voted in six states from coast to coast. I have encountered just about every type of voting method, including the simple marking of a box beside the name, a stamper that inked a large blot in a circle, punch cards, and voting machines with an individual lever for each candidate.

It is worth noting that besides the infamous butterfly”ballots in Florida, Wake County, N.C. also uses paper ballots that must be fed into a machine.

I think the Moore County machines are the very best and would hope that when these machines must be replaced, that they are replaced by very similar machines.

Gordon Howell

Whispering Pines