Oakland County, Michigan, April 11, 2006 -- They like beans, with broccoli running a close second, prefer coffee over tea and the ballot to change our national bird from the eagle to the turkey didn't fly.

About 70 election workers gathered at Oakland County for election training on new voting machines Tuesday. Election workers had the opportunity to actually vote on the M-100 machines, filling out a fictional ballot. They voted on their favorite meals (dinner), their favorite fruit (bananas followed by strawberries) and favorite treat (pie and ice cream tied).

All Oakland County voters will be using new voting machines this year, as required under the federal Help America Vote Act. Tuesday's session offered workers the chance to become more comfortable with the new optical scan equipment before the May 2 election, the August primary and November's general election.

"I respect and appreciate these dedicated election workers - many of them seniors - who are performing a vital civic service," said Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds, who offered the special training. "Many precinct workers help out because they see it as their patriotic duty. This training helped put them at ease with the new system."

The session was taught by volunteer trainers from clerks' offices in Farmington Hills, Troy and Birmingham in the Board of Commissioners Auditorium in Pontiac.

Voters using the machines for the first time will notice a difference. Instead of punch cards, or optical scan machines that required voters to fill in an arrow, they'll now be asked to darken in an oval to cast their vote for the candidates and proposals.

On Tuesday, workers received special tips and guidance from the trainers. In addition, each community received a special election reference guide created by a dedicated group of local clerks - Sandy Abrams (Clerk, Commerce Township), Tonni Bartholomew (Clerk, City of Troy), Kathydornan (Clerk, City of Farmington Hills), Marilyn Henry (Election Specialist, West Bloomfield Twp.), Sharon Law (Clerk, West Bloomfield Township) Mary McDonell (Clerk, Highland Township), Colleen Schwartz (Clerk, Milford Township), and Nancy Weiss (Clerk, City of Birmingham). The manual will be distributed by Oakland County as a tool for election workers.