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Harris Co. Elections Office brings voting machines to community events for hands-on demonstrations

Set up inside the Trinity United Methodist Church Farmers Market Saturday, election voting machines were on display for demonstration.

HOUSTON, Texas — Harris County is just over a month away from Election Day and with key seats like governor and attorney general on the ballot, officials are expecting a big turnout.

In preparation, the county Elections Office is working to get people ready to go to the polls.

One of the biggest concerns for Harris County election officials heading into November is making sure people know how to use the new machines. So, they’re bringing those machines to you for hands-on training to make sure you’re ready to cast your ballot.

RELATED: November election voter guide: Vote-by-mail information; registration deadline; other key dates

Set up inside the Trinity United Methodist Church Farmers Market on Sept. 24, election voting machines were on display for demonstration.

“We’re just trying to get people confident when they go and cast a ballot in November," said Harris County Elections Administration Communications Deputy Director Nadia Hakim.

Hakim says their goal is to get voters ready to use the new machines that now require a paper ballot, hoping to avoid some of the issues they saw in the primaries.

“They can practice with the two sheets of paper because we do have the longest ballot in the state of Texas," Hakim said. 

RELATED: 'Plan for the process' | New Harris County elections administrator says November election preparations are ahead of schedule

The voting process may now take a little longer. You have to enter your votes into a machine, which prints out a paper ballot. You'll then take your paper ballot to a scanning machine and insert both sheets, one at a time. 

“We go out into the community, they invite us. Sometimes we reach out and we invite ourselves and see if they would like for us to come out," Hakim said. 

They have several events scheduled and anyone can stop by to help make elections as efficient as possible in the upcoming election. 

“She told me, don’t leave until I finish each step and put my information through. Before I leave, insert it into the machine and let it go through so I can get my voice heard and my vote counted," voter Tommy Stoudmire said. 

More information on future demonstration events can be found on www.HarrisVotes.com.

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