Kitsap County’s Votemobile is now making the rounds of local care facilities to allow residents to cast their ballots in a more traditional, interactive way with little or no restrictions.

“The Votemobile gives the elderly and disabled people across the county a chance to cast their ballots the same way they did in the past,” said Kitsap County Auditor Walt Washington. “Young people like to vote by mail, but many seniors see voting as a social event. So it gives them a chance to express themselves.”

The service is more than a benevolent effort to recreate old voting practices for the benefit of those who remember them. It is also a response to the recent Help America Vote Act, which requires elections departments to remove all barriers to voting for those with disabilities.

The act drove Kitsap County to convert to an all-mail elections process, which satisfies the act’s requirements. Otherwise, it would have needed to spend about $1 million for enough voting machines and training to stay compliant with the law,

With the mail system, the county was still required to provide voting booths throughout the county on Election Day. To accomplish this it was required to purchase 10 accessible voting machines, at a cost of about $7,000 each.

The Votemobile project, first used in the 2007 primary, goes the extra mile. The county purchased an old panel truck and modified it to hold four machines, which are only used on Election Day. It then goes throughout the county, following a proscribed schedule that gives local facilities a chance to prepare their residents for the voting process.

While the county was required to make certain investments, the Votemobile project was funded by Federal grants. This included the software upgrades needed to support electronic ballots, along with election worker salaries, gasoline, informational brochures, and miscellaneous items for each election, according to Elections Supervisor Dolores Gilmore.

This is the fourth time the Votemobile has ventured out. Response the first time was miniscule, according to Assistant Elections Manager Suzanne Boltz. The November general election drew 119 people, while the February presidential primary attracted 73 participants. Boltz said these numbers are impressive, considering the newness of the program and the visibility of the elections.

“We are targeting less than one percent of the electorate to begin with,” she said. “So we only expect to get a fraction of that number. Considering this, I think the numbers are pretty good.”

The process also evolves. Originally, the intention was to bring the residents into the van in order to vote. But many of them had trouble with the stairs, requiring immediate modifications. Now, two machines are brought into the facility for use inside a common room while the other two stay in the van.

While the Votemobile is intended for a specific part of the population, any registered voter can drop their ballots off at one of the scheduled stops.

Boltz said the reaction to the project has been overwhelmingly positive, since many residents and staff members tend to not “believe that government will go out of its way in order to help them vote.”

Boltz was especially moved when one resident, a veteran, actually saluted her for the service she was providing.

“He told me that he had served overseas and it was extremely difficult to vote during that time,” she said. “He stood up and saluted me. It was a very emotional moment.”

Ballots were mailed Aug. 1. Any voter who has not yet received their ballot should call (360) 337-7128.

The primary takes place Aug. 19, with votes counted after 8 p.m. on that date. Initial results will be posted to www.kitsapgov.com by about 8:20 p.m.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before primary day. A drop box is open at the county administration building, and a nearby parking space has been reserved for voters’ convenience. Additionally, the Votemobile will be parked outside of JCPenney at the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 16 to receive ballots.

The remaining Votemobile stops are as follows:

• Aug. 11: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m at Martha & Mary Health Services, Poulsbo and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Liberty Shores, Poulsbo.

• Aug. 12: 10:00 a.m. to noon, at Park Vista, Port Orchard; and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Retsil Veterans Home.

• Aug. 13, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Canterbury Manor in Bremerton; and 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. at The Vintage in Bremerton.

• Aug. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Cypress Gardens in Bremerton and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Ridgemont Terrace in Port Orchard.

• Aug. 15, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Montclair Park in Poulsbo and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Crista Shores in Silverdale.