Ballot marking system and apparatus utilizing single print head
View Patent ↗A system and apparatus for marking a pre-printed paper ballot which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the apparatus. If the ballot is to be machine marked, the ballot is inserted into the marking apparatus and candidate selections are presented to the voter on a touchscreen. Candidate selections entered on the touchscreen are marked on both the top and bottom sides of the ballot utilizing a single print head to mark spaces corresponding to the selected candidates, and the ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his selections have been marked. The ballot, whether hand-marked or machine-marked, is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein it is tallied and deposited in a ballot box.
1. A ballot marking apparatus for marking at least one style of a pre-printed paper ballot, presenting election races on both a front side and on a reverse side of the ballot, comprising:
a housing;
a voter input device on said housing for enabling voter selections;
a slot in said housing for receiving the pre-printed ballot from a voter;
optical detection means for automatically determining position and style of said ballot and thereby at least one marking position on each side of said ballot;
a marking head;
means defining a paper path within said housing for receiving said ballot as said ballot passes through said slot and conveying said ballot past said marking head, the front side of the ballot being presented to the marking head, said marking head marking the positions on said front side of said ballot in accordance with said selections made by the voter;
said paper path inverting said ballot after said ballot has passed by said marking head;
said inverted ballot passing by said ballot marking head, the reverse side of the ballot being presented to said marking head, said marking head marking the positions on said reverse side of said ballot in accordance with the selections made by the voter; and
means for discharging said ballot through said ballot slot upon said front and reverse sides of said ballot having been presented to said marking head.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said voter input device is a touchscreen.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said voter input device is a keypad.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said voter input includes an audio function.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said voter input device includes an audio function.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said slot is adjustable to accommodate ballots of different widths.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for determining includes a processor.