Voter interest during Tuesday’s state primary election may center as much on voting mechanics as on political candidates, as Norwood rolls out a new computerized voting system.
Computerized Punch-Card System Trial
Voters across all precincts will utilize a new punch-card ballot format paired with computerized counting provided as a public service by Factory Mutual Engineering Company.
Trained demonstrators will be stationed at every precinct to instruct voters on how to record their choices by inserting a punch card into a specialized machine and marking selections with a stylus. Written instructional directions will also be posted clearly on each voting machine.
A similar computerized setup tested several years ago met with mixed reviews, primarily due to insufficient instructions provided to voters and election workers. According to the town clerk’s office, once precinct ballots are processed through the computer on election night, physical copies of the results will be transported directly to the town hall and posted for public inspection, as no results will be available at the computer center itself.
Town Clerk and Accountant Robert Thornton initiated the modernized voting system after supervising his first election last spring and concluding that traditional paper ballots and manual hand-counting resulted in unacceptable all-night delays for final vote tabulations.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Celebrating 50 years working at Norwood’s election polls, Precinct E warden Amedio DeFlaminis shares memories of a half-century serving voters at the Callahan School.
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Norwood Voters to Test Computerized Punch-Card Ballots in State Primary Election-September 12, 1980
Norwood voters will use a new computerized punch-card ballot system provided by Factory Mutual Engineering Company for the upcoming state primary election.
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Town Officials Warn of Disastrous Cuts from Proposed Proposition 2 1/2-August 20, 1980
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State DPW Commissioner John J. Carroll Appointed Norwood Town Manager-November 1, 1978
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Retiring Congressman James Burke Bids Farewell to Federal Retirees at Norwood VFW Hall-October 31, 1978
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Republican Town Committee Delays Nominations for Board of Registrars-October 24, 1978
The Republican Town Committee delayed nominations for the Board of Registrars by one week to review candidate qualifications and procedures following A. Franklin Swift’s departure due to office-holding conflicts.
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Property Taxes Dominate Norwood’s 1978 Special Election Amid School Committee Recall and Selectman Race-October 23, 1978
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