The clunky lever voting machines -- used in New York for as long as most people can remember -- are now officially extinct.

Starting with the primaries on Tuesday, Sept. 14, voters will now have to fill out bubble computer cards -- much like lottery tickets  -- and insert them into "tabulators."

There has been surprisingly scant publicity in other media about this. Keep checking with us here at www.baycurrents.net for continuing updates.  You can also visit the city Board of Elections site -- www.vote.nyc.ny.us -- for some tips about using the new machines.