Systems and methods for transactional ballot processing, and ballot auditing
View Patent ↗A voting unit and a ballot transaction processing system for processing a voting session. The voting unit includes an optical ballot scanner and a printer that is capable of printing a non-human readable barcode on ballots that are fed into the voting unit. The ballots are filled out (or cast) by the voter before being inserted into the voting unit. The voter can confirm the voting unit's interpretations of his/her selections on the scanned ballot via a display and confirm that the interpretations are correct via an input section on the voting unit. The ballot transaction processing system is also capable of generating, assigning and communicating to a plurality of voting units a set of unique transaction codes. In so doing, the ballot transaction processing system maintains voter secrecy, prevents ballot stuffing and provides a one-to-one correspondence between images of optically scanned ballots and the ballots themselves.
1. A method of processing a voting session of a voter, the method comprising:
assigning to a voter-marked paper cast ballot a unique transaction code that is randomly selected from a set of codes assigned to a voting unit for an election;
printing the unique transaction code on the voter-marked paper cast ballot after the cast ballot has been read by the voting unit and after the voting unit's interpretation of the cast ballot has been accepted by the voter;
scanning the unique transaction code printed on the cast ballot;
verifying that the printed unique transaction code has been correctly printed on the cast ballot;
including the unique transaction code with all records associated with the cast ballot;
tabulating the cast ballot and other cast ballots that have valid transaction codes; and
importing the transaction codes into an election management system.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique transaction code that is randomly selected from the set of codes assigned to the voting unit is encrypted.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the printing the unique transaction code on the voter-marked paper cast ballot comprises printing a barcode on the voter-marked paper cast ballot.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique transaction code printed on the voter-marked paper cast ballot is used only once for the voting session.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of codes assigned to the voting unit are generated such that the total number of allocated transaction codes exceed the number of predicted registered voters for a particular precinct.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction code includes an election identifier, a precinct identifier and at least one additional number.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying counterfeit, fraudulent, or duplicate ballots; and
marking the identified ballots as invalid.
8. A voting unit apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to assign to a voter-marked paper cast ballot a unique transaction code that is randomly selected from a set of codes assigned to the voting unit for an election;
a printer coupled to the processor and configured to print the unique transaction code on the voter-marked paper cast ballot after the cast ballot has been read by the voting unit and after the voting unit's interpretation of the cast ballot has been accepted by the voter;
a scanner coupled to the processor and configured to scan the unique transaction code printed on the cast ballot;
the processor further configured to:
verify that the printed unique transaction code has been correctly printed on the cast ballot;
save the unique transaction code with all records associated with the cast ballot;
tabulate the cast ballot and other cast ballots that have valid transaction codes; and
import the transaction codes into an election management system.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the unique transaction code that is randomly selected from the set of codes assigned to the voting unit are encrypted.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the printing the unique transaction code on the voter-marked paper cast ballot comprises printing a barcode.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the unique transaction code printed on the voter-marked paper cast ballot is used only once for the voting session.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the set of codes assigned to the voting unit are generated such that the total number of allocated transaction codes exceed the number of predicted registered voters for particular precinct.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the transaction code includes an election identifier, a precinct identifier and at least one additional number.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify counterfeit, fraudulent, or duplicate ballots and mark the identified ballots as invalid.