Voters in Dixon, Iowa hit the polls Tuesday with a new tool aimed at making the process faster and more efficient.

If successful, it could be implemented throughout the rest of the state.

Voters liker Bruce Dahms seemed to like the new system.

“They didn’t have to search my name in the data registry, in the book,” he said. “I just gave them my driver’s license and they took it and they scanned it- done deal.”

He’s part of a new voting initiative that was tested out in Dixon.

The process, called “Iowa Express Voter,” is supposed to make voting a lot easier.

All you have to do is have your voter registration card or your driver’s license and give it to the election official and have them scan your information.

“I think this new electronic thing, showing the ID’s and stuff, I think it’s awesome,” said Sue Motz, another voter.

Critics say a bill requiring background checks for Iowa school employees is a good idea but doesn’t go far enough to protect children.

Current law requires criminal background checks for teachers and school bus drivers working for Iowa schools, but not for volunteers, student teachers and many other school employees.

If Senate File 338 becomes law, districts would be required to check child abuse, adult abuse and sex offender registries for new job applicants including part-time and substitute workers.  Employees would be re-checked every five years.

Rep. Mark Smith of Marshalltown said the measure falls short because serious criminal offenses, including murder, would not appear on those registries.    The bill also doesn’t require checks for offenses outside of Iowa.

The town of Dixon, Iowa is the first town in Iowa to test out Iowa’s new voter ID scanning system.

Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz has been pushing for new voting laws in the state since September. Tuesday though, Schultz is testing out a new system where voters can have their IDs scanned when they go to the polls instead of having election workers manually fill out their information.

Election officials hope that the new system speeds up the voting process, so people can get in and out of the polls quicker. Dixon voters can still have the workers fill out their information manually Tuesday if they would like.

Dixon voters will be asked if the city should “sell and convey all of its water system to Iowa American Water.” The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has found high levels of nitrate in the Dixon water since 2010.