Voting in Virginia has undergone significant change over the past century, driven by technological innovations that have made the election process more efficient, accurate and accessible.
From the manual methods of the 1920s to today’s sophisticated electronic systems and online tools, advances in voting reflect efforts to strengthen democratic participation.
Today we explore innovations in voting methods over the past century.
Voting in the 1920s: A Historical Perspective
In the 1920s, Virginia's voting system was operated by hand. Voting machines had become popular in the United States the previous decade with the invention of Jacob H. Myers. These machines were operated by levers and, ironically, contained more moving parts than an automobile.
Voting was especially easy for partisans: by selecting one lever, you could vote strictly Democrat or Republican until the very end. If you wanted to vote for each candidate individually, you had that option too.
“Automatic booth” voting machines, which accounted for 80 percent of the market, remained popular until about 1980.
The rise of technology: Electronic voting machines
These days, there's likely to be electronic components involved in casting your ballot, but if you live in Virginia, you'll still need to receive and mark a physical ballot — unless, of course, you request the assistance of a Ballot Marking Device (BMD), a type of vote-recording device.
The rise of electronic voting systems has helped in many ways, one of the most notable being the accuracy of the machines.
Following the uproar in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump falsely claimed the “election was stolen,” a group of top government and industry figures took a stand, declaring through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that there is “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
The group also noted that the 2020 election was “the most secure election in American history.”
About 93% of the ballots were paper records, most of which were counted using electronic scanners, which were then checked for accuracy through a post-election check system, according to the Associated Press.
Online Voter Registration
Online voter registration is also a notable development. Having the option to register to vote at your convenience makes the process more accessible and streamlined. Virginia introduced online voter registration in 2013.
If you would like to register to vote or check your voter registration status, click here.
Amy Knowles
Amy is the Community Editor for Dogwood. She has been in journalism for several years and has won multiple awards from the Virginia Press Association for her news and feature content. A lifelong Virginia resident, her work has appeared in the Martinsville Bulletin, Danville Register & Bee and NWNC Magazine.
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