Customer Experience

Kodak Alaris introduces mail-in ballot processing solution

Image courtesy of Kodak Alaris.

July 27, 2022

Kodak Alaris has introduced a scanning solution to automate the processing of mail-in ballot envelopes for U.S. elections, according to a press release. The company's Mail-in Ballot Processing Solution will help county election offices to process ballot envelopes and verify voter signatures.

When ballots are received by mail, a Kodak i4000 Series scanner scans both sides of each ballot envelope. Envelopes are stamped with the scan date, time and batch number. The voter's signature is captured off the envelope and compared against the signature database to generate a comparison score which will trigger an automatic signature validation or flag it for further verification. Validated signature and ballot information is then delivered to the county's election management software.

"Voting by mail has increased 40% since 1992, and many states have expanded eligibility and accelerated acceptance of mail-in ballots since the 2020 pandemic," Joseph Odore, product portfolio marketing manager at Kodak Alaris, said in the press release. "Counties can now use this fast, reliable and cost-effective solution to help them keep pace with this growing trend."

There are now more than 3,000 U.S. counties with requirements for mail-in ballots for federal and local elections. Automating the ballot intake process helps counties reduce their operating costs during an election cycle. In addition, the solution delivers up to a 95% increase in ballot processing efficiency, and the automated signature verification is accurate up to 99%, reducing the number of ballot signatures that require manual verification. The software automatically rejects ballots that were intended for a different county or election.