Few problems with South Florida's new voting machines

[Freddie Stubbs]

BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ AND AMY SHERMAN
[e-mail]

With a few hiccups but no major headaches, South Florida entered a new voting era on Tuesday -- an era that felt a lot like, well, a 10th-grade American history exam.

''Just fill in the bubble, like back in school,'' said voter Matt Williams, 39, of Davie.

Local elections in Miami-Dade and Broward counties Tuesday marked the first time countywide voters in each jurisdiction used the region's new optical-scan paper ballot systems. South Florida's decision to discard its futuristic, ATM-like touch-screen voting machines reflects a nationwide trend, with paper ballots now the dominant U.S. voting method.

With some exceptions, the switch took place smoothly Tuesday -- perhaps benefiting from what was expected to be low turnout once all the votes were tallied.

more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/660024.html