Madison county uses machine that read the ballots. You connect two areas with a marker that could be a ball point but is normally a felt tip. Then you feed the ballot into a machine. Could be the impressions jam the machine.
BTW, haven’t heard anything bad about Ragland. He’s a probate judge which isn’t too political.
I vote in SE HSV and have always used a short pencil. Reminds me of a golfer’s pencil. We do use the machines.