Mpls. tries to fix voting system delays

Minneapolis city elections officials Wednesday announced several measures designed to reduce lines at polling places and shorten the time it takes to count ballots cast in this fall's municipal elections.

Four years ago, the city held its first election using a system which allowed voters to rank their choices for office. City officials say it took more than two weeks to hand count the ballots cast in 22 races.

Assistant City Clerk Grace Wachlarowicz said this year, the city will use new machines and software that will electronically collect the ranked-choice selections made on ballots.

"Meaning, we would be able to obtain this report and begin at the tabulation process. Eliminating the time-consuming steps of the hand count and data entry," Wachlarowicz said.

Wachlarowicz said the city will also try to reduce the waiting times many voters faced at the polls during the 2012 election by increasing the number of staff working at polling sites.

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