News

Sequoia Voting Systems printer passes federal testing

July 21, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Sequoia Voting Systems passed federal testing of the VeriVote printer upgrade to the company's popular AVC Edge touchscreen voting system, according to a company news release.

The printer, which allows voters to view a paper copy of their electronic ballot before leaving the polling place, will be used throughout Nevada for their Sept. 7 Primary Election and the Nov. 2 Presidential Election.

"We commend the State of Nevada for taking the national lead in the implementation of electronic voting with voter verifiable paper records," said Sequoia President Tracey Graham. "Changing voting systems is difficult work under the best of circumstances, but using a new technology under tight timelines with the whole world watching a presidential election race is a daunting task for state and local officials. We appreciate the confidence that the state has placed in Sequoia and we appreciate the professional and dedicated county election officials who are working around the clock to make this project succeed for the voters of Nevada."

The printer is mounted beside the touchscreen and displays the voter's selections behind glass so that neither voters nor poll workers are able to physically handle, remove or alter the paper record. After voters confirm that the selections on the paper are correct, they will be prompted to cast their ballot via the touchscreen. After the ballot is cast, the paper record is scrolled inside the unit to maintain a voter-verified paper audit trail.

The additional paper audit trail will supplement existing features such as the system's redundantly stored electronic ballot images and unalterable electronic audit logs to provide multiple methods of verifying the accuracy of an election.

The new feature is not mandatory for secure and accurate electronic ballots. The enhanced printer option can be added to existing and new Sequoia AVC Edge touch screen voting units. The optional VeriVote printers can be incorporated at the time of purchase or can be added later if the needs of state or local election officials change.

"Sequoia's VeriVote printer is designed to provide election officials with an easy way to enhance voter confidence in the integrity of elections while ensuring full accessibility for voters with special needs," said Graham. "Our customers routinely praise our system's ease of use for voters, poll workers and election officials," said Graham. "Voting on Sequoia touch screens will remain as easy as ever, but with this additional feature, voters will have the added convenience of viewing a paper record of their selections before they leave the polls."