Write-in process difficult, confusing

After casting my vote Tuesday, I told a worker there was going to be a lot of confusion concerning the write-in votes. First of all, “TYPE IN” would have been a more appropriate description of what you would find upon entering the voting booth. No wonder some voters actually wrote on the screen itself, as reported in Thursday’s newspaper (“Write-ins wrangled”).

I found the whole write-in process confusing, although after searching for and finally finding all the right buttons, I was able to cast my vote. I wonder how many write-in votes did not get registered because of no prior instructions. Quite a few, I’m sure. At the very least, why couldn’t there have been a printed sample of the layout with full instructions posted in the lobby? As far as write-in votes in the future, there is lots of room for improvement to make sure as many voters as possible know beforehand exactly what to expect when they go behind the curtain.

As far as the forum held in the Waynesboro Public Library for the treasurer candidates, I appreciate the fact time and much energy went into getting the forum set up. However, I have a complaint in this area also. The sound system and acoustics were the pits. One microphone did not seem to be working at all, another was so muffled we could barely understand a word said, and passing mics from one to another and switching them on and off was really distracting.

I do appreciate all those who this time and previously worked on the electoral board and those “working hands” behind the scenes we don’t see.