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Voters in Franklin County will find new voting machines when they show up at the polls Tuesday.

Essex County's 24 polling places still have both lever machines and electronic ballot-marking devices, but all the lever voting machines that have been used in Franklin County for decades have been replaced by electronic ballot-marking devices, and county election commissioners Veronica King and Kathy Fleury said they expect the transition to go smoothly.

"We've tested and tested and retested, and everything is working well," Fleury said. "We're very confident."

County Board of Elections staff have been making appearances with the machines, which are called Sequoia ImageCast Optical Scanners, throughout the county over the last few months. Voters were given the chance to try them out by using test ballots that let them vote for their favorite band and ice cream flavor.

They targeted seniors by visiting adult centers, since they were most concerned about older people being resistant to using electronic machines, and King said most seniors have been pleased with them.

"It's going to be easy for voters," King said.

When Franklin County residents show up to vote, this is how it will work:

After signing in, election inspectors will give you a paper ballot and direct you to a voting booth.

Mark your ballot by filling out the voting square next to the candidate's name, using only the marking pens provided. For a write-in vote, write the name into the box at the bottom of the column.

If you make a mistake, do not try to erase the mark. Just return the ballot to the election inspectors and they will give you a new one.

When you have finished filling out your ballot, bring it to the optical scanner. If you wish to review your ballot in the machine, ask the election inspector before placing the ballot in the scanner.

Place either end of the ballot into the scanner, then when you are finished, press the "Cast" button. The machine will suck the ballot into an internal box, and you are finished casting your vote.

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Essex County

Essex County Acting Republican Election Commissioner Patti Doyle said that while the BMDs are there to fulfill handicap-accessibility requirements, anyone can try using them if they wish.

"Just because they're not disabled doesn't mean they can't go in and try it out," Doyle said.

Doyle said people have been hesitant about the new machines, but she thinks it is because they aren't aware how easy they are to use.

All polling places are being required to switch entirely to non-lever machines in the coming years, according to the state's Election Reform and Modernization Act.