Voting Equipment

Beginning in 2018, the city will be using Hart voting equipment at the polls.  Counties, cities and townships in the State of Michigan received new voting systems in 2017 & 2018.  The State of Michigan established a grant program to use State-appropriated and Federal HAVA funds to acquire and implement replacement voting systems throughout the state.  The City of St. Johns received 3 precinct tabulators and 3 accessible voting devices through this grant and the grant covered the purchase of the voting system, software license fees and initial service and maintenance period for all components (acquisition year plus 4 additional years).

How to mark your ballot

To Vote: Completely darken the box next to each choice as shown: 

Using a Hart Verity Tabulator

hart logo

Once the voter has completed marking his ballot either with a pen from the voting booth or by a ballot marking device (voter assist terminal), the voter puts his ballot in a secrecy sleeve with the ballot stub exposed and proceeds to the precinct tabulator. The voter should hand the precinct worker the application to vote who will check to see that the number on the ballot stub matches the application to vote number. The precinct worker will tear off the ballot stub and instruct the voter to feed the ballot into the tabulator.

Hart Verity Tabulator

Hart Verity Tabulator


When you approach the tabulator, you will follow these steps:

Hart Tabulator screen

1. Screen shows tabulator is ready

Hart Tabulator Insert ballot

2. Insert ballot edge into slot

Hart Tabulator screens final

3. The screens show the ballot was successfully cast

Sometimes it is necessary to collect ballots in the auxiliary bin before tabulating. If needed, the precinct worker will instruct you to follow these steps:

Hart Tabulator Auxiliary bin

1. Auxiliary bin slot

Hart Tabulator aux Insert ballot

2. Insert ballot into slot


Using the Hart Voter Assist Terminal

Ballot marking devices are available to all voters with special accommodations for hearing, visual, physical and other disabilities. This provides voters the opportunity to independently vote a ballot in complete privacy. This terminal marks the voter's selections on paper that becomes their ballot. Voters can select their choices using a touch screen. Personal adaptives may also be used to assist voters in making their selections. The completed ballot is then fed into a tabulator, which scans and records the votes.

Hart Vat

Hart Verity Touch Writer

Hart VAT Personal adaptives

Personal  Adaptives 


When using the voter assist terminal, you will follow these steps:

Hart VAT about your ballot

1.  Begin the voting process

Hart VAT select choices

2. Select your choice for each race

Hart VAT review your ballot

3. Review your ballot

Hart VAT ready to print your ballot

4. Choose to print the ballot

Hart VAT Printing the ballot

5. Printing the ballot

Hart VAT Confirmation of printed ballot

6. Confirmation the ballot printed

Hart VAT Printing the ballot

7. Printer producing the ballot 

Hart VAT Ballot in sleeve

8. Retrieve ballot with secrecy sleeve

Hart Tabulator

9. Proceed to the tabulator