voting instructions

I have always voted, but I have never used a voting machine, since I've always lived in small towns. Our town still uses paper ballots. After filling in the dots, the voter slides the ballot into a machine that pulls it inside and counts it. Then the ballots are tallied by hand after the polls close. I never volunteer, because I don't like staying up as late as the counters usually do, but apparently it is a social and fun activity.