Have you seen a typical American ballot? There are many races to vote in at the national, state, and local level. Besides President, every ballot would have in

Have you seen a typical American ballot? There are many races to vote in at the national, state, and local level. Besides President, every ballot would have included house rep and 2/3 of states had a Senate race. Then add state governor, house rep, and senate which often align on the same cycle. Most states also elect attorney general, treasurer, education and several other statewide executive offices. Some states elect state supreme court judges. Then there can be mayor, city council, school board, port commissioner, and other local offices, although many states align these to non presidential election years. Then there are states like California that always have several initiatives. In practice, you are looking at dozens of races on this year's general election ballot in many states. Counting all those on paper would be time consuming and possibly less accurate than using an optical scan counter.