By John McDevitt
Published May 15th 2007 in Philadelphia all news radio KYW Newsradio 1060
Making a quick stop to vote on Tuesday wasn't as speedy as some would have liked.
And some voters, including the blind, who opted for audio instruction couldn't go faster even if they wanted to.
Led by her five-year-old guide dog Pattie, 51-year-old Suzanne Erb of center city Philadelphia -- blind since birth -- made her way to the elevator of her apartment building and then to the second-floor polling place.
Once there, a volunteer guided Erb's hand to the spot where she was instructed to sign the registry.
Erb waited for her turn in line. A volunteer led her into the polling station. Inside the voting booth, Erb put on headphones and followed the recorded voice instructions.
It took more than 30 minutes for her to complete the voting process. Compare that to some sighted voters who were taking three or four minutes. She says it was frustrating:
"I would like to be able to speed it (the recorded instructions) up, because there's no reason why it should have taken me 31 minutes to vote."
Erb isn't a fan of the electronic voting booths -- she favors a paper trail. She also says that poll workers seemed a little better trained this year in assisting her than the last time she voted.
And some voters, including the blind, who opted for audio instruction couldn't go faster even if they wanted to.
Led by her five-year-old guide dog Pattie, 51-year-old Suzanne Erb of center city Philadelphia -- blind since birth -- made her way to the elevator of her apartment building and then to the second-floor polling place.
Once there, a volunteer guided Erb's hand to the spot where she was instructed to sign the registry.
Erb waited for her turn in line. A volunteer led her into the polling station. Inside the voting booth, Erb put on headphones and followed the recorded voice instructions.
It took more than 30 minutes for her to complete the voting process. Compare that to some sighted voters who were taking three or four minutes. She says it was frustrating:
"I would like to be able to speed it (the recorded instructions) up, because there's no reason why it should have taken me 31 minutes to vote."
Erb isn't a fan of the electronic voting booths -- she favors a paper trail. She also says that poll workers seemed a little better trained this year in assisting her than the last time she voted.