Tompkins County Board of Elections
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Sequoia ImageCast Ballot Marker and Precinct Ballot Counter
   
 

Our old lever style voting machines will still be used in Tompkins County through the end of 2008. But there will also be a ballot marking device (BMD) available in each polling site.

Pictured at left is the Sequoia ImageCast BMD. It allows a voter with disabilities to prepare a paper ballot in privacy. Audio Tactile interfaces allow voters with sight challenges to complete their ballot. Voters can listen to the selections over headphones, or look at an LCD screen with an image of the ballot that can adjusted for size and contrast. "Sip and Puff" devices may also be used by voters who wish to do so.

Once the voter has made all his or her choices, the ballot is printed out and deposited in an envelope, and counted later, much like an emergency or affidavit ballot.

 
 
  One of the reasons the Commissioners chose the ImageCast machine for use this fall is that this machine also comes with an optical scanner (disabled for 2008 elections) that can be used as our HAVA compliant voting machine in 2009.
   
  On the opposite side of the BMD is the optical scanner. (Pictured at left.) We expect that in 2009 all voters in Tompkins County will be voting on a paper ballot. Voters will indicate their choices on the paper ballot, then they will feed the ballot into the scanner. The scanner will notify the voter if they under or over voted. The scanner also tabulates the results, and captures an image of the ballot. The ballots are then deposited into the compartment underneath the scanner, and can then be hand counted later to ensure the tabulator on the scanner is accurate.
   
  Executive Summary and Product Review from Sequoia