I voted in chicago this morning in the boys lockerroom of a park fieldhouse. They waved me in – asked if i wanted a paper ballot or to use the electronic machine. I opted for paper – showed my photo ID (they told me the photo wasn’t necessary, but i used it anyway as my proof of identity) they found my registration in the file, handed me an oversize ballot and black marker, plus a “privacy sheet” to hide my selections while i waited to have it scanned (there was no line though) and i voted on paper. I don’t vote in unopposed contests, or in contests i have no knowledge of the candidate. Once completed, I ran my ballot into the scanner. It took the ballot with a single beep and that was that – there was no warning beep to say some of the contests weren’t voted for (as they have in years prior). A gentleman ahead of me got an out-loud error when it was found he “over voted” in one of the contests – so he got a fresh one and started over. While i don’t know the accuracy of the scan count, i do feel comfortable that, if challenged, my vote could potentially be counted by hand if necessary, because i voted on paper. Of the 12 or so people i saw in the lockerroom – no one opted to use the electronic machines. This was at 7:45AM this morning. I couldn’t tell if the electronic vote machines were working or not, since no one was opting to use them.