I miss stepping into the old voting booth machines, pulling that lever to close the curtain,

[Quiet Em]

and then clicking down all the levers to vote and pulling that lever again to open the curtain and walking out.

[mahina]

1. Problem: 227 bomb threats in 2024, all in Democratic precincts.

https://safeelections.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Mitigating-Election-Disruption-Bomb-Threats-and-Hoaxes-CSSE.pdf

You can find heaps of documentation.

BOMB THREATS
AND HOAXES
MITIGATING ELECTION DISRUPTION
Consider incorporating the elements presented here into a broader security plan like
the one in CSSE’s Five Steps to Secure Elections.
Election Officials and Law Enforcement: Working Together to
Combat Bomb Threats
In 2024, bomb threats emerged as a serious challenge to election
security, with at least 227 threats against polling locations and other
election sites across the country made on Election Day and the days
immediately after. While bomb threats aren’t new, widely available
technology, including AI-powered tools, now enables bad actors (foreign
and domestic) to more easily target election sites on a widespread basis.
Looking ahead, elections are likely to remain a significant target, and it
is critical that law enforcement and election officials continue to work
together when planning how to respond to these threats.
Bomb threats can disrupt our elections. In good news, due to joint
preparation by election officials and law enforcement, despite the spike
in bomb threats, the 2024 election was widely described as “smooth.”.
However, some polling locations were temporarily evacuated, and court
orders were necessary to extend voting hours at some of these locations.
To minimize potential disruptions in future elections, law enforcement
and election officials should be aware of recent election-related bomb
threat trends, such as emailing threats to staff of the facility hosting a
polling site, and evolving best practices on immediate responses and
mitigations, such as threat analysis evaluation techniques to assess
“shelter in place” or evacuation response options.. The framework below
can help law enforcement and election officials jointly plan for continued
safe and secure elections.
Visit us online at SafeElections.org

Regarding pulling the lever and closing the curtain, I donʻt know what state you are in but perhaps you can vote that way in a centralized location.

[Ocelot II]

3. I don't think those old mechanical voting machines have been used anywhere in decades.

[whathehell]

5. ..That's unfortunate. n/t.

[Quiet Em]

4. I'm in New York.

We've been scanning our ballots for years now.

[QueerDuck]

2. Sentimental and fun memory...

... I remember it too. Except, there was no auditing, and there was no recounting.

[Attilatheblond]

6. I miss having independent press & media present actual facts

so we can vote with some confidence that our votes will ensure progress toward 'a more perfect union' or at least sane government.

[Quiet Em]

7. I hear ya.

True journalism, press and media are all gone.

It's a different world and not for the better in my opinion.

[GenThePerservering]

11. yeah - heck with those ancient machines

I miss modern journalism!

[3catwoman3]

8. There was something satisfying about the soft metallic click each of the little levers made...

...and the louder heavy clunk when you puller the big lever to open the curtain when you were done.

[electric_blue68]

9. I always liked that....

The little clicks of the levers, the ? ratchety sound as you pulled the level into position. Then the "ker-chunk" as you pulled it back to register your vote.
Satisfying!

ETA: NYC started scanning paper ballots in 2010.
Since I started to vote in 1971 it's still over twice as m many yrs (16 Xs 2) + 6 yrs voting w the mechanical machines.

[usonian]

10. I don't miss machines at all.

Long story short. Those machines can be physically hijacked, and hacked.

Computer hacks are a matter of "when" not "if". Safeguards on one central machine are more robust and scrutinized. And there's always the damn piece of paper you dotted.

I'd rather touch a rattlesnake than a touch screen, where electrons buzz about, doing what software tells them to do. Like LLM's software can lie and cover its tracks.

Software in NEVER secure. Never ever. It only approaches security.

Example

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therac-25

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

12. Never experienced curtains with levers. Experienced push pins to remove the chads

[DFW]

13. I remember that, but it was over 50 years ago for me.

I started working with my outfit in 1975, was already spending a lot of time overseas by 1976, and have voted absentee ever since.

[Intractable]

14. Analog voting machines (as opposed to digital ones). I remember them well. Pulling the lever was satisfying.

[Mossfern]

15. I would bring one of my children into the booth with me

and have them pull the big lever to open the cloth curtain and register my vote. I think it was a great experience for them. I don't know if that was against the "rules", but I live in a pretty small town. We also have strangers working the polls lately. It used to be mostly our neighbors who would greet you with a hearty "Hi Mossfern" when signing the "big book." Representatives for both parties used to bring in donuts and coffee to the workers.

I miss those days.

(I wish we had a 'sigh' smilie)

[Polybius]

16. I still vote in person

As long as I'm able-bodied, I will never vote by mail-in.