Voting machines are the total combination of mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic equipment (including software, firmware, and documentation required to program control, and support equipment), that is used to define ballots; to cast and count votes; to report or display election results; and to maintain and produce any audit trail information. Various governments require a certification of Voting machines In the United States there is only a voluntary federal certification for Voting machines An Independent Testing Authority (ITA is a laboratory certified by the United States-based National Association of State Election Directors (NASED to test voting systems to National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST program which provides an unbiased third-party test and The Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG are guidelines adopted by the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC for the certification of voting systems End-to-end auditable or end-to-end voter verifiable (E2E systems are voting systems with stringent integrity properties and strong tamper-resistance The Help America Vote Act ( or HAVA, is a United States federal law passed the House 357-48 and 92-2 in the Senate and was signed into Independent verification ( IV) systems or Independent Dual Verification ( IDV) are Voting machines that produce multiple (at lease two independent Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment (SERVE was an experiment by the Pentagon to allow military personnel to vote in elections in the United States via the The term " software independence " ( SI) was coined by Dr Voting machines are the total combination of mechanical electromechanical or electronic equipment (including Software, Firmware, and documentation required to program Voting machines are the total combination of mechanical electromechanical or electronic equipment (including Software, Firmware, and documentation required to program In Engineering and its various subdisciplines, acceptance testing is Black-box testing performed on a System (e Various governments require a certification of Voting machines In the United States there is only a voluntary federal certification for Voting machines Software verification is a broad and complex discipline of Software engineering whose goal is to assure that software fully satisfies all the expected requirements Usability testing is a technique used to evaluate a product by testing it on users An absentee ballot is a Vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official Polling station. Chad refers to paper fragments created when holes are made in a paper card or similar synthetic materials typically computer Punched tape or Punch cards A direct-recording electronic (DRE Voting machine records votes by means of a Ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of Voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic An optical scan voting system is an electronic voting system and uses an optical scanner to read marked paper Ballots and Tally the results A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility. Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT or Verified Paper Record (VPR is intended as an independent verification system for Voting machines designed to allow voters There exist various methods through which the Ballots cast at an Election may be counted prior to applying a Voting system to obtain one or more winners Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold Election Systems Inc Sequoia Voting Systems is a California -based company that isone of the largest providers of Electronic voting systems in the U Election Systems & Software (ES&S is an American company that provides Voting services Hart InterCivic Inc is a privately held United States company that provides elections geospatial system integration and print solutions to jurisdictions nationwide In Computing, firmware is a computer program that is Embedded in a hardware device for example a Microcontroller. The first voting machines were mechanical but it is increasingly more common to use electronic voting machines. Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of Voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic

A voting system includes the practices and associated documentation used to identify system components and versions of such components; to test the system during its development and maintenance; to maintain records of system errors or defects; to determine specific changes made after initial certification; and to make available any materials to the voter (such as notices, instructions, forms, or paper ballots).

Traditionally, a voting machine has been defined by the mechanism the system uses to cast votes and further categorized by the location where the system tabulates the votes.

Voting machines have different usability, security, efficiency and accuracy. Certain systems may be more or less accessible to all voters, or not accessible to those voters with certain types of disabilities. They can also have an effect on the public's ability to oversee elections.

Voting systems recording technologies

Document ballot voting system

A document ballot voting system records votes, counts votes, and produces a tabulation of the vote count from votes cast on paper cards or sheets. A document ballot voting system can allow for manual or electronic tabulation. There exist various methods through which the Ballots cast at an Election may be counted prior to applying a Voting system to obtain one or more winners There exist various methods through which the Ballots cast at an Election may be counted prior to applying a Voting system to obtain one or more winners

Manually marked and tabulated paper ballots

The first use of paper ballots to conduct an election appears to have been in Rome in 139 BCE, and the first use of paper ballots in the United States was in 1629 to select a pastor for the Salem Church. ^[1]

Punch card

The Votomatic vote recorder, a punch card voting machine originally developed in the mid 1960s.

Punchcard systems employ a card (or cards) and a small clipboard-sized device for recording votes. Voters punch holes in the cards (with a supplied punch device) opposite their candidate or ballot issue choice. After voting, the voter may place the ballot in a ballot box, or the ballot may be fed into a computer vote tabulating device at the precinct.

In the 1996 Presidential election, some variation of the punchcard system was used by 37. 3% of registered voters in the United States. ^[2]

Optical scan (Marksense)

An optical scan, or marksense voting system allows a voter to record votes by making marks directly on the ballot, usually in voting response locations. An optical scan voting system is an electronic voting system and uses an optical scanner to read marked paper Ballots and Tally the results A ballot is a device (originally a small ball—see blackball) used to record choices made by Voters Each voter uses one ballot and ballots are not

With electronic input device

A paper-based system may allow for the voter's selections to be indicated by marks made on a paper ballot by an electronic input device.

Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail

Some traditionally non-document ballot voting systems may print a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) to serve as a document (ballot) for each vote. Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT or Verified Paper Record (VPR is intended as an independent verification system for Voting machines designed to allow voters

Electronic Ballot Marker

The Electronic Ballot Marker (EBM) is categorized as any such input device that does not independently record, store, or tabulate the voter selections.

Non-document ballot voting system

Direct-recording voting system

Commonly used in the United States until the 1990s (and commonly known as lever machines), direct recording voting systems are mechanical systems to tabulate votes. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Commonly, a voter enters the machine and pulls a lever to close the curtain, thus unlocking the voting levers. The voter then makes his or her selection from a list of switches denoting the appropriate candidates or measures. The machine is configured to prevent overvotes by locking out other candidates when one candidate's switch is flipped. When the voter is finished, a lever is pulled which opens the curtain and increments the appropriate counters for each candidate and measure. The results are then hand written by the precinct officer at the conclusion of voting. New York and Connecticut are some of the few states that still permit the use of these machines, allowing them time to explore alternatives. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. ^[3] . ^[4]

Direct-recording electronic voting system

The successor to direct recording voting machines, a direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting system records votes by means of an electronic display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated by the voter; that processes voter selections by means of a computer program; and that records that processed voting data in memory components. A direct-recording electronic (DRE Voting machine records votes by means of a Ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated It produces a tabulation of the voting data that is stored in a removable memory component and may also provide printed renditions of the data. The system may further provide a means for transmitting the processed vote data to a central location in individual or accumulated forms for consolidating and reporting results from precincts at a central location. DRE systems additionally can produce a paper ballot printout that can be verified by the voter before they cast their ballot.

Public network direct-recording electronic voting system

A public network DRE voting system is an election system that uses electronic ballots and transmits vote data from the polling place to another location over a public network. A ballot is a device (originally a small ball—see blackball) used to record choices made by Voters Each voter uses one ballot and ballots are not Vote data may be transmitted as individual ballots as they are cast, periodically as batches of ballots throughout the election day, or as one batch at the close of voting.

The Advanced Voting Solutions WINvote voting machine in Arlington County, Virginia.	A voting machines used in Bladensburg, Maryland 2004. Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County Maryland, United States.	A Brazilian voting machine
Voting machine to be used in Issy-les-Moulineaux during the 2007 French presidential election	Similar to lever voting machines, the electromechanical Shouptronic voting machine. Brazil elects on the national level a Head of state &ndash the president &ndash and a Legislature. Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France	A voting machine designed by Alfred J. Gillespie and marketed by the Standard Voting Machine Company of Rochester, New York from the late 1890s. Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States.

Voting system tabulation technologies

Most voting systems (whether document ballot or non-document ballot) can be tabulated either at the place of voting or in another location. In this case "precinct" is the place of voting.

Precinct-count voting system

A precinct-count voting system is a voting system that tabulates ballots at the polling place. Generally, systems that hand count the ballots will tabulate the ballots only after the close of polling. Other voting systems typically tabulate the ballots as they are cast. In all systems, the vote totals are made public only after the close of polling. For DREs and some paper-based systems these systems provide electronic storage of the vote count and may transmit results to a central location over public telecommunication networks. This system allows for voters to be notified of voting errors such as over voting and can prevent residual votes.

Central count voting system

A central count voting system is a voting system that tabulates ballots from multiple precincts at a central location. Voted ballots are typically placed into secure storage at the polling place. Stored ballots are transported or transmitted to a central counting location. The system produces a printed report of the vote count, and may produce a report stored on electronic media.

See also

• Electronic voting
• Vote counting system
• Postal voting
• Voting system
• Electoral systems
• Ballot
• Indian voting machines
• Brazilian voting machine

References

1. ^ Jones, Douglas W.. Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of Voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic There exist various methods through which the Ballots cast at an Election may be counted prior to applying a Voting system to obtain one or more winners Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed and/or returned by post to electors in contrast to electors voting in person at a A voting system allows voters to choose between options often in an Election where candidates are selected for public office. A voting system allows voters to choose between options often in an Election where candidates are selected for public office. A ballot is a device (originally a small ball—see blackball) used to record choices made by Voters Each voter uses one ballot and ballots are not Electronic Voting Machines ("EVM" are used in Indian General and State Elections to implement Electronic voting. Brazil elects on the national level a Head of state &ndash the president &ndash and a Legislature. A Brief Illustrated History of Voting. THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA Department of Computer Science.
2. ^ "Punchcards, a definition". Federal Election Commission
3. ^ "Lever voting machines get a reprieve in NY", Press & Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, New York), August 10, 2007
4. ^ WTNH.com, Connecticut News and Weather - State scraps new voting machines

External links

Election Administration

• Election Assistance Commission
• US Federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines
• Vote.NIST.gov - The National Institute of Standards and Technology Help America Vote Act page. The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the The Press & Sun-Bulletin is a daily Newspaper serving the area around Binghamton New York. Binghamton, known as The Parlor City is a City located in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Help America Vote Act ( or HAVA, is a United States federal law passed the House 357-48 and 92-2 in the Senate and was signed into

Informational

• The Election Technology Library research list - A comprehensive list of research relating to technology use in elections.
• E-Voting information from ACE Project
• AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project
• Electronic Voting Systems at the Open Directory Project
• Selker, Ted Scientific American Magazine Fixing the Vote October 2004
• The Machinery of Democracy: Voting System Security, Accessibility, Usability, and Cost from Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
• Electronic Voting Machines ProCon.org - Does the use of electronic voting machines improve the voting process?
• Who's who in election technology

Research

• How to Improve Security in Electronic Voting? Parakh, Abhishek and Kak,Subhash Louisiana State University
• "Private, Secure And Auditable Internet Voting", by Ed Gerck, in "Secure Electronic Voting", Gritzalis, Dimitris (Ed. The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory Dr Ted Selker (Edwin Joseph Selker) is an American computer scientist who headed the Context Aware Computing Group at the MIT Media Lab and is the MIT director of The Voting Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, Coeducational ), 2003, 240 p. Kluwer/Spring. ISBN-10: 1-4020-7301-1.