Voters at three polling places will notice something different when they cast ballots in the May 20 primary.

Butler County commissioners on Wednesday, March 26, agreed to spend more than $300,000 to buy electronic poll pads to replace paper poll books at voting precincts. The change will be implemented at all polls for the November general election.

The pads will reduce mistakes, voter waiting times, printing costs and the use of provisional ballots, Chantell McCurdy, election bureau director, told the commissioners Wednesday.

“It’s literally just a digital version of the poll book,” McCurdy said.

The pads, which are computer tablets, will first be used at the Precinct 5 poll in Butler, an unspecified poll in Cranberry Township and the lone poll in Franklin Township in a soft rollout.

The initial polls will be the test sites for the pads in the primary, McCurdy said. All of the 155 pads the county agreed to purchase from Knowink will be used in the general election, she said.

Poll books are separated based on voters last names. Typically, voters with last names beginning with letters A through L stand in one line and voters with last names beginning with letters M through Z stand in another line, she said. Poll workers tell voters to sign on a line in one of the books that lists all voters in the precinct before voters receives their ballots.

Poll pads contain the list of precinct voters. At precincts using poll pads, a voter can stand in any line and give a poll worker his or her name or driver’s license, which will be scanned by the pad.

After the voter’s registration information appears on the pad, the worker will verify the voter’s address and turn the screen toward the voter, who signs with a digital pen, McCurdy said.

The pad will print a slip of paper containing the voter’s political party, and the voter hands the slip to another worker who gives the voter the party ballot. The voter then fills out the ballot and places it in a scanner, which records the ballot, she said.

If a voter goes to a precinct that he or she is not to registered in, the pad will say so and print a slip with the correct precinct, McCurdy said. Without a pad, poll workers would have to try to determine where the voter is supposed to vote, and that can include calling the bureau office, which can be challenging especially in high turnout elections, she added.

Going to the wrong precinct is among the reasons a voter can receive a provisional ballot, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

The pads greatly reduce the chance of a voter signing the incorrect line in the poll book, McCurdy said. The pads do not have internet access, she said.

The commissioners approved two poll pad purchases. One is $34,720 for 10 pads that will be used in the primary and a second for $306,275 for 145 pads. During the primary, three pads will be used at the three precincts and the seven others will be used by administrators and for back up.

In other election matters, the commissioners agreed to buy EasyVote campaign finance software that gives candidates the option of filing their campaign finance reports electronically in addition to paper filing.

McCurdy said the program reminds candidates about report filing deadlines and makes the reports free to view publicly. People wishing to see paper reports must pay for copies, she said.

The program costs $6,100 with an annual fee of $4,600.

Voters in Clinton Township will have the opportunity in the primary to vote on a referendum about selling alcoholic beverages at golf courses that the commissioners approved in their role as the board of elections.

They approved this specific language for the referendum: “Do you favor the granting of liquor licenses for privately-owned public golf courses for the sale of liquor in Clinton Township by Saxon Golf Course, Inc. of Butler County, PA: ____Yes ____ No.”

McCurdy said voters registered with any political party can vote on the referendum. Only Republicans and Democrats can vote for candidates in a primary.

Voters in Concord Township will once again vote at the North Washington fire hall, 2225 Oneida Valley Road, due to structural problems at the former polling place, Concord Presbyterian Church on Hooker Road.

Leslie Osche, commissioners chairwoman, said the church can’t be occupied due to structural issues.