Abstract: A voting system includes an accessible voting station and a tabulation device. The accessible voting station presents an audio ballot to a voter and receives one or more voting selections entered in response to the audio ballot from the voter. The accessible voting station also prints a ballot that includes the entered voting selections and scans at least a portion of the ballot to determine the voting selections printed thereon. The accessible voting station further presents an audio representation of the scanned voting selections to the voter and receives a confirmation of the audio representation of the scanned voting selections from the voter. The tabulation device tabulates the voting selections printed on the ballot by scanning the printed ballot or receiving voting selection information extracted from the printed ballot from the accessible voting station.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method that allows a central election office to maintain control over actions taken on voting devices located at various polling locations. In an exemplary embodiment, a poll worker or other user contacts the central election office with a request to perform an action on a voting device. An election management system located at the central election office executes a hashing algorithm to generate a first hash code associated with the action. The central election office communicates the first hash code to the polling location, and the poll worker or other user inputs the first hash code into the voting device. The voting device executes the same hashing algorithm to generate a second hash code associated with the action, and compares the second hash code to the first hash code to verify the validity of the first hash code.

Abstract: A ballot processing system for processing a plurality of ballots having one or more voting selections marked thereon. The system includes an input area configured to receive a stack of ballots to be processed, an output area configured to store the processed ballots, and a transport path operable to transport each of the ballots from the input area to the output area. In an exemplary embodiment, the transport path comprises a planar section positioned between a first curve section and a second curve section to form a generally S-shaped path. The length of the transport path allows each of the ballots to be processed prior to reaching the output area.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for un-issuing a voting credit that has been erroneously issued to a voter in an election. The system includes an electronic poll book that is used to check-in a voter by locating the appropriate voter record and analyzing the voter record to determine whether a voting credit has been issued to the voter in the election. If a voting credit has been issued to the voter, the electronic poll book displays an indication that the voter has already voted in the election. If it is determined that the voting credit was erroneously issued to the voter, a poll worker enters an un-issue code into the poll book. The poll book verifies the validity of the un-issue code and updates the voter record so as to un-issue the voting credit. As such, the voter may vote a regular ballot in the election.

Abstract: A secure ballot box includes a main compartment for receiving ballots, a case including a base and a cover supported by the main compartment, and a scanner supported within the base. The cover is coupled with the base and is moveable between a closed position enclosing the scanner and an open position exposing at least a portion of the scanner. The case and scanner are removable from the main compartment for easy transport. A sensor, operable to detect the height of the ballots collected within the main compartment, is coupled with the scanner to switch the scanner to an off mode such that additional ballots will not be accepted when the height of ballots within the main compartment reaches a predetermined threshold level.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for detecting security features on paper ballots. The security features allow a ballot tabulator to distinguish between an authentic ballot and a counterfeit ballot that does not include the required security feature. One or more security sensors in the ballot tabulator are operable to detect the security feature on the ballot, and provide an output indicating the presence or absence of the security feature. The ballot tabulator preferably generates a visual alert and/or audio alert if the security sensor does not detect the security feature on the paper ballot.

Abstract: A ballot tabulation device and method for tabulating paper ballots that have been printed according to ballot style. In an exemplary embodiment, the ballot tabulation device includes an input device, such as a touch screen display, that enables a user to enter a precinct identification code for a paper ballot. The device also includes a scanner operable to scan the paper ballot, and a processing circuit operable to decode one or more voting selections marked on the paper ballot. The processing circuit is further operable to tabulate the decoded voting selections and include the tabulated voting selections within the vote tally associated with the precinct identification code. Other exemplary embodiments are also disclosed.