The NAACP utilized electronic voting clickers for the first time during their 113th annual convention, signaling the organization's departure from a century-plus long tradition of paper ballots and manually counting votes.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The NAACP's 113th annual convention was unique in the organization's long history, bringing exciting changes to the traditional format as their first in-person meeting since 2019. The week-long event kicked off on July 14th at the Atlantic City Convention Center, covering issues like reproductive rights, student debt, police reform, economic justice, advocacy, and more. This year's convention also marked the organization's transition into electronic voting, where they utilized TownVOTE software and voting keypads from Meridia Interactive Solutions during the entirety of their voting session on June 19th. When compared to the NAACP's past voting sessions, going fully electronic was a significant departure, replacing a more-than century old tradition of paper ballots and manual vote counting. Participating voters ultimately welcomed the change, with delegates on the floor being able to vote and interpret their results faster and more efficiently than with paper ballots.
With over 1,000 participants in attendance during the voting, the convention was one of Meridia's biggest events of the year, taking place at the Atlantic City Convention Hall that spanned several football fieldsAFRICAN. Meridia technicians provided perfect coverage for the entire width of the voting space, using a primary and backup receiver to prevent any possible technical issues.
Despite the initial apprehension to transitioning from traditional paper ballots to an electronic voting system, the participants quickly started appreciating the simple layout of the keypads and ease of voting with a vote confirmation. Each voter could see their vote on their keypad screens and if the vote was open, they were also free to change their vote as many times as they liked. With the Meridia system, only the last vote is counted.
The official vote began shortly after testing was completed. The organization's June 19th voting session was a sizable one, with over 40 articles to deliberate, discuss, and eventually achieve a clear ballot. The flexibility of TownVOTE allowed Meridia technicians to quickly adapt to the shifting structure of the meeting as new proposals and amendments were brought up, making the event seamless despite several unexpected votes taking place throughout the session. With TownVOTE software automatically counting each vote, NAACP members were able to skip the process of manually counting paper ballots, achieving a clear result instantaneously after the end of the voting period.
Media Contact
Peter Babel, Meridia Interactive Solutions, 1 6102606800 Ext: 120, [email protected]
SOURCE Meridia Interactive Solutions
Share this article