Independent Survey Shows Voters Trust and Approve of Election Technology in LA Primary
Santa Monica, CA – March 13, 2020 – The voters have spoken and they overwhelmingly approve of the new ballot marking devices (BMDs) used in Los Angeles County during the March 3 primary election. Loyola Marymount University conducted its 2020 LA Votes Exit Poll at sites across the county and found most voters trusted the election and felt the technology made voting easier.
“This year, LA County implemented new voting technology. Compared to voting in previous elections, technology made voting in this primary:”
- Much easier 57.5%
- A bit easier 17.6%
- The same 13.2%
- A bit more difficult 7.4%
- Much more difficult 4.3%
The vast majority of voters – more than 88% – also said they trust the new voting system.
“How much do you trust that your vote will be counted as intended?”
- Greatly trust 51.7%
- Somewhat trust 35.0%
- Somewhat distrust 9.3%
- Greatly distrust 4.0%
Respondents also overwhelmingly agreed that they had good voting experiences, with more than 85% choosing “excellent” or “good” when asked about their overall experience.
The California presidential primary was the first big test for LA County’s Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) system, with more than 860,000 voters casting in-person ballots. There were approximately 22,000 BMDs used at 979 vote centers across the county. Smartmatic engineered and manufactured the BMD hardware, developed the backend software to manage the devices and provided systems integration services.
“The largest and most complex election jurisdiction in the US pulled one of the largest voting system overhaul in US history,” said Antonio Mugica, CEO of Smartmatic. “Voters have spoken. They overwhelmingly approve this innovative, secure technology and inclusive voting system.”
The Loyola Marymount survey included 3,596 respondents, making it the biggest election exit poll, per capita, in the US. You can see the full survey here.
