Polling Official’s Manual Avante International Technology, Inc. VOTE-TRAKKER™ Full-Face Voting Unit Version 2.0 January 31, 2007 © 2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc. Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
Table of Contents 1 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................... 4 2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL.................................................................................................................. 8 3 BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE VOTING MACHINE ...................................................... 8 4 SETTING UP THE VOTING UNIT................................................................................................ 9 4.
8 9 CLOSING THE POLL.................................................................................................................... 53 8.1 EXITING THE VOTING SCREEN ................................................................................................... 53 8.2 CLOSING THE POLL ON EACH VOTING UNIT .............................................................................. 54 8.3 SHUTTING DOWN THE SYSTEM ................................................................................
1 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
THIS IS THE ELECTRICAL HAZARD SYMBOL. IT INDICATES THAT THERE ARE DANGEROUS HIGH VOLTAGES PRESENT INSIDE THE VOTE TRAKKER. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE ENCLOSURE OR GAIN ACCESS TO AREAS WHERE YOU ARE NOT INSTRUCTED TO DO SO. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL ONLY. THIS IS THE USER CAUTION SYMBOL. IT INDICATES A CONDITION WHERE DAMAGE TO THE EQUIPMENT OR INJURY TO THE OPERATOR COULD OCCUR IF OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES ARE NOT FOLLOWED.
READ USER’S GUIDE – After installation, read the User’s Guide carefully before operating. Follow all instructions carefully. POWER SOURCES – This product should be operated only from the type of source indicated on the manufacturer’s ID label. Installation should be in compliance with applicable sections of the National Electric Code. Consult your local building code before installing.
POWER CORD PROTECTION – The power supply cord for this product should be routed or installed in such a manner to protect it from being walked on or pinched. The unit should be powered down completely before connecting or disconnecting the power cable. The power cord should be removed before moving the unit. The power cord must be placed into an easily accessible unobstructed socket outlet. SERVICING – Do not attempt to service this unit unless specifically instructed to do so.
2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL This manual contains instructions for polling officials on how to operate the VOTETRAKKER™ full-face touchscreen voting machine at a polling place.
4 SETTING UP THE VOTING UNIT 4.1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE VOTING UNIT Figure 4.1A shows the front view of a full-face voting unit, figure 4.1B shows the rear view, and figure 4.1C shows a close-up of the battery box. Figure 4.1A Figure 4.1B Figure 4.1C Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
The voting unit is attached to an electric-powered height-adjustable table with four articulating wheels (omni-directional). A compartment that contains power-control components and batteries sits at the bottom of the table. Depending on the required duration of power backup, batteries may also be mounted in a front compartment as well. Visible from the front side of the voting machine is the monitor and the printer unit, which is mounted to the right of the monitor.
Figure 4.1F The table height adjustment switch is also located at the left side of the voting unit, underneath the access control unit, seen in figure 4.1G. The table moves upward when you hold down the ‘’ arrow and stops automatically when it reaches the maximum height. Pressing and holding the ‘’ button lowers the table. Release the button at any time to stop the movement. Figure 4.1G Underneath the monitor, there is a power switch that requires a key to operate, as seen in figures 4.1H(1) and 4.1H(2).
Figure 4.1H(1) Figure 4.1H(2) Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
Now let’s look at the printer unit, pictured closed in figure 4.1I. Open the latches at the top and sides of the printer unit, pictured in figures 4.1J(1), 4.1J(2), and 4.1J(3), and remove the top cover. Figure 4.1K shows you the inside of the printer unit. Figure 4.1J(1) Figure 4.1I Figure 4.1J(2) Figure 4.1J(3) Figure 4.1K Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
The printer is a thermal printer, which means that it does not use ink. Instead, it prints by heating up a special type of paper to make it black. Lastly, there are several keys that come included with this machine. The first is a brass key (figure 4.1L(1)), which is used to open the battery door, the battery box, the access control module door, and the front locks on the machine. The second is a circular key (figure 4.1L(2)), which opens the back of the monitor.
4.2 TURNING ON THE VOTE-TRAKKER™ If the voting machines have been kept in a freezing environment, you MUST let the system warm up to room temperature before turning it on. Unlock the back door of the voting machine, depicted in figure 4.2A, to access the power cord that extends from the battery compartment cover at the rear bottom of the table, shown in figure 4.2B. Plug it into a power outlet. You can have up to three Full-Face VOTE-TRAKKER™ machines connected to each 110V circuit. Figure 4.
If the machine is not receiving power, there are several things you should check. First, between the two outlets on top of the TrippLite is a small circuit breaker, pictured in figure 4.2D(1). Make sure that the ‘Reset’ button is pushed all the way down. If there was a short circuit in the system, that button will pop up, and the TrippLite will stop working. Second, there is a set of eight very small switches, shown in figure 4.2D(2).
If the lift table is not working, there are two things you can check. First, make sure that the table is securely connected to the TrippLite (the lift table plug is the one with only two prongs). Also, there is a control box mounted on the lift table with two plugs coming out from the bottom, as seen in figure 4.2G(1). Reach toward the box and firmly push both plugs up into the box. There is a chance that one or both of them may have come loose. Figure 4.2G Figure 4.
Figure 4.2H Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
Using the height adjustment button on side of the machine, raise the VOTE-TRAKKER to a comfortable level. Insert the small silver key into the power switch keyhole and turn the key clockwise to turn on the monitor. Release the key after the display turns on. If the screen does not turn on, check to make sure the monitor is connected to the TrippLite (the monitor is the three-pronged plug).
Once the computer screen is turned on, allow up to 2 minutes for the system to boot up. If the screen freezes at figure 4.2J, turn off the TrippLite and unplug it from the wall for five minutes before trying again. Wait until you see the following screen shown in Figure 4.2J(1). Figure 4.2J Figure 4.2J(1) Simply press the ‘OK’ button to continue to the next screen. At this point, there are two error messages that you might get.
Wait until you see a screen resembling figure 4.2L appear, asking for a poll worker card. Figure 4.2M Insert your poll worker card. If more than one poll worker is required to activate the voting unit, the screen will prompt for another card after the first one is accepted. Remove the first card from the machine, place the second card on the card reader, and press the OK button to continue. If you put an invalid card onto the card reader at this time, you will get the screen shown in figure 4.2N.
Figure 4.2N When the login is successful, the system will print a self-diagnostic report like the one shown in figure 4.2O. Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
Election Type: New York General Election Test Time: 1/11/2007 17:01:41 Vote-Trakker: VTF0300611 Software Version 1.2.2(Full Face) Hardware Version 1.4.
Unlock the printer’s top latch and open the printer’s front plastic cover to remove the report and save it for audit purposes. There will be a small popup box, shown in figure 4.2P, instructing you to do this. After you remove the printout, you should see Figure 4.2Q. The voting machine is now ready to be activated for voting. Figure 4.2P Figure 4.2Q Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
5 OPENING THE POLL Before a voting machine is ready for public voting, you must complete the ‘Open Poll’ procedure. The ‘Open Poll’ procedure is required only once during the entire election process. Press the ‘Open Poll’ button on the screen depicted in figure 5A. Figure 5A Figure 5B will appear, requesting that you reset the public counter back to zero. The counter reset switch is located between the two counters. Turn the clockwise and return the key to its original position.
The printer will print a zero-count verification report. Remove each page manually when it is fully presented. Do not pull the paper until it comes out fully from the printer. Normally you will have one set of zero reports for “Regular Voting”. There may also be additional reports for ‘Provisional’ and ‘After-hour Provisional’. When the printer finishes printing the zero report, you will see a ‘Done’ confirmation screen, shown in Figure 5C.
Figure 5D The zero-count verification report for each machine should be collected and properly stapled. The current reading of the public counter for each voting unit stays at zero and the current reading for the protective counter is documented accordingly. If you have completed the above checklist, your machine is ready for public voting. Once you have the voter cards ready for voters, they can vote on these machines. Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.
6 ENCODING SMART CARDS A voter card is required to activate a ballot. One option is that each voter gets assigned a card after signing in at the check-in desk. Another procedure for activating ballots is that a polling official with a universal smart card can activate the ballots as needed (this option does not require issuing separate cards for each voter at the polling location). Below are the instructions for how to set up the encoding system to issue a voting card for each voter. 6.
After you have connected the encoder, turn on your computer. When power is supplied to the encoder, you should hear a beep and the red LED on the top panel of the encoder should be on. Your computer will run the ‘Generate VID’ module automatically when it is turned on (you will see figure 6.1B displayed on the computer screen). Figure 6.1B Enter the appropriate username and password in Figure 6.1B. Click ‘OK’ to proceed or ‘Exit’ to cancel the operation.
If the message shown in figure 6.1C(1) comes up, disconnect the encoder from the computer, shut down the computer, reconnect the encoder, and then restart the computer. Figure 6.1C(1) Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
6.2 ENCODING A SMART CARD To issue smart cards, a card encoder must be connected to the computer before the ‘Generate VID’ program runs. If the ‘Issue Card’ button in Figure 6.2A is grayed out, the card encoder is not properly connected with the computer. Use the ‘Link Encoder’ button in the top menu bar to reset the encoder connection after you connect a smart card encoder to the computer. Figure 5.2A shows a sample interface screen. 1 2 3 Figure 6.2A 6.2.1 SPECIAL CARDS Item No.
figure 6.2B), and click the ‘Issue a Test Voting Card’ button on the top menu. Once encoded, this card can be reused until the voting machine is loaded with a new ballot database. Figure 6.2B If the computer gives you an error message like the one in figure 6.2B(1), try either re-orienting the card on the encoder, or using a different smart card. Figure 6.2B(1) 6.2.2 ISSUE A VOTING SMART CARD As voters check in at the poll book desk, they should be given voter cards according to their jurisdictions.
In area ③, select the proper type of smart card to be issued. The following are the three types of voting cards: Regular: For properly registered voters. This is the most commonly used option. Provisional: For voters whose registration cannot be verified at the polling place.
7 ASSISTING VOTERS DURING VOTING As a polling official, you may need to assist voters who have questions about using the voting machine. Therefore, you need to be familiar with how to vote on the voting unit. 7.1 ACTIVATING A BALLOT Each voter receives a card allowing them to vote. Once getting a voter card, the voter should go to any voting unit that has completed the ‘Open Poll’ procedure. Figure 7.1A shows the first screen that a voter will see.
Figure 7.1B If the election provides ballots in multiple languages, the voter first needs to choose one by pressing directly on the screen, as shown in Figure 7.1C. Figure 7.1C 7.2 VOTING VIA THE TOUCHSCREEN For voters who have no problem seeing the ballot screen and using their hands or any stylus to press the touchscreen, voting via the touchscreen the quickest and easiest option available to them. Selections are made by touching on the screen. Figure 7.2A shows a sample full-face ballot.
Figure 7.2A Press anywhere inside a box to select that choice. The selection will be highlighted to differentiate it from others. See figure 7.2B. Figure 7.2B Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
7.2.1 WRITING IN A CANDIDATE When choosing to enter a write-in candidate, a voter should press the ‘Write-in Candidate’ button for that contest. The screen depicted in figure 7.2.1A will appear. First name and last name are required. Figure 7.2.1A Press inside the white box next to the ‘First Name’ heading, and enter the candidate’s first name using the on-screen keypad. Enter the ‘Last Name’ and ‘Middle Initial’ in the same manner to complete your entry (middle initial is optional).
Figure 7.2.1B The ‘Slate Order’ box appears only if the write-in is for a ‘Slate’ contest (i.e. President and Vice President). When you finish entering the first candidate’s name, you will be asked to write-in the ‘Vice Candidate’, as seen in figure 7.2.1C. Press the ‘OK’ button after you complete your entry for the vice candidate. Figure 7.2.1C You will now see your write-in displayed in the full-face screen, similar to figure 7.2.1D. You may press the write-in box again to cancel that write-in.
Figure 7.2.1D 7.2.2 SKIP CHOICE(S) If you decide to under-vote in a contest, use the ‘Skip Choice(s)’ button. For example, if you only want to select one candidate in a ‘Vote for 3’ contest, you may select your candidate and then press the ‘Skip Choice(s)’ button. The machine will retain every candidate that you have selected for this contest and fill in the rest as ‘Skip Choice(s)’. 7.2.
Figure 7.2.3A 7.2.4 CHANGING DISPLAY SETTINGS To help those voters who are color-blind or vision impaired, the system provides two color/contrast options in addition to the ‘Standard Display’, which are shown in Figure 7.2.4A. Voters may press on the corresponding buttons at the bottom of the screen for ‘Black/White Display’, ‘Reverse Tone Display’ or ‘Standard Display’ to choose the display option that is most comfortable. Figure 7.2.
Figure 7.2.4B After the voter makes the required number of selections in Figure 7.2.4A, the screen will automatically return to the full-face display 7.2.5 VOTING FOR A REFERENDUM OR INITIATIVE Figure 7.2.5A All referenda/initiatives are grouped together and separated from the other contests. You may choose ‘Yes’, ’No’ or ‘Skip Choice(s)’ for each question. To see the details about a referendum or initiative, press directly on the question title and the details will be shown in the entire screen.
7.3 CAST YOUR BALLOT AND REVIEW THE VVPB Once the voter has made all of his or her selections, press the ‘Cast Ballot’ button to cast the ballot. If you do not vote for the required number of selections in any contest or referendum, you will see the title of such contest/referendum highlighted with an under-vote alert message, as shown in figure 7.3A. Figure 7.3A You can press the ‘Make Change’ button and modify your selections.
session is finished and the ballot is cast, the poll worker should return the voter card to the encoding table. Sections 7.3.1, 7.3.2 and 7.3.3 will show you the three possible scenarios. 7.3.1 DO NOT PRINT VVPB If your jurisdiction has chosen not to print the VVPB or the printer has been turned off temporarily to conserve power consumption during a power outage, you will see Figure 7.3.1A after the first time that you press the ‘Cast Ballot’ button. Figure 7.3.
7.3.2 PRINT A FINAL VVPB ONLY If your jurisdiction has chosen to print a final VVPB after the voter has cast the ballot, you will see the same screen as shown in Figure 7.3.1A after you press the ‘Cast Ballot’ button the first time. If you press this button again to confirm casting the ballot, you will see Figure 7.3.2A shown on the screen. Meanwhile, the printer will print the VVPB and present it for the voter to review, as shown in Figure 7.3.2B. Figure 7.3.2A Figure 7.3.
If the voter chooses to continue reviewing the VVPB, the screen will change back to Figure 7.3.2A and the VVPB will remain in the display area. If the voter choose to deposit the VVPB or does not make any selection within a preset time limit, the printer will withdraw the VVPB and deposit it into the VVPB compartment at the bottom of the printer unit. 7.3.3 ALLOW REJECTION OF THE VVPB If your jurisdiction has chosen to print a VVPB and allow voters to reject it, figure 7.3.
button to accept the VVPB or when you have reached the maximum number of changes to the VVPB as set by your jurisdiction. 7.4 VOICE-ASSISTED VOTING If a voter cannot vote via the touchscreen or cannot read, he or she can vote independently using voice-assisted voting. As a polling official, you may help a visually impaired voter find the keyboard and the headphones and select his or her desired language if multiple language ballots are available.
Upper Right Corner Button (Yellow ‘Up’ Triangle): Press this button to repeat the reading of the current contest from the beginning (figure 7.4A(2)). Lower Left Corner Button (Orange Circle): Press this button when you are ready to cast your ballot (figure 7.4A(3)). Upper Left Corner Button (Black ‘Down’ Triangle): Press this button to skip the current candidate or instruction (figure 7.4(4)). Figure 7.4A(4) Figure 7.4A(2) Figure 7.4A(3) Figure 7.4A(1) The voter will be asked to press each button.
Figure 7.4A(5) For each contest, the system will read the first candidate’s name, wait for the voter’s response, and move on to the next candidate if the voter did not select the previous one, until all candidates are read. If a write-in option is allowed, this option will be read after all candidates are read. ‘Skip Contest’ will be the last choice provided for each contest. The voter simply presses the ‘square button’ when the desired candidate’s name is read.
a selection, press the ‘square button’ after you hear that selection. You will be brought back to that contest to make another choice. If you are satisfied after you hear every selection, press the ‘circle button’ twice to confirm casting your ballot.
The provisional voter can vote on the touchscreen voting unit exactly the same as a registered voter would. When the ballot is cast, the voting unit will encode the result onto the smart card and voting machine. Check with your election administrator about whether you need to tell the voter to seal the smart card inside the envelope after the ballot is cast. 7.
Figure 7.6B Insert the poll worker cards. Once the required number of cards has been read, you will have the chance to unlock the screen. If your state law stipulates that a fleeing voter’s ballot should not be counted, you should see figure 7.6D displayed on the screen, meaning the previous ballot has been spoiled automatically and the machine is ready for the next voter. If your state law requires that a fleeing voter’s ballot be counted, you should see figure 7.
Figure 7.6C Once you see the screen return to figure 7.6D, the machine is ready for the next voter. Figure 7.6D Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
8 CLOSING THE POLL The ‘Close Poll’ procedure is the last step that you need to complete at the polling place. After this step, all voting machines will no longer accept ballots and generate a tally result in the forms of a paper report and a CD. The tally results from each voting machine may be consolidated at the polling place to form a polling place tally total. Polling officials will shut down each voting unit and transport the tally result to the tabulation center. 8.
Figure 8.1B Figure 8.1C will appear when the required number of poll worker cards has been inserted. Figure 8.1C 8.2 CLOSING THE POLL ON EACH VOTING UNIT Since every voting unit runs independently, you need to close each machine individually. Unlatch and open the front of the printer unit. Choose the ‘Close Poll’ button from figure 8.1C. Figure 8.2A will appear asking you whether you are ready to close the poll. Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.
Figure 8.2A If you choose the ‘Yes’ button, figure 8.2B will appear asking you to confirm that you want to close the poll. Figure 8.2B Press the ‘Yes’ button in Figure 8.2B to continue. When the computer starts to close the poll, there will be a status bar informing you of the current task being processed. Wait for the printer to start printing. If the voting unit has any fleeing voter’s ballot casts or any offline paper records, the printer will print and withdraw such records, one by one.
message when the computer has successfully completed the ‘Close Poll’ procedure, shown in figure 8.2C. Figure 8.2C The CD should be ejected automatically. Remove the CD from the CD drive. If the CD has not been properly labeled to identify the source (at least showing the serial number of the voting unit), please do so immediately after you get hold of the CD. Press the ‘OK’ button shown in figure 8.2C. The computer screen will now show figure 8.1D. Figure 8.
8.3 SHUTTING DOWN THE SYSTEM When you want to shut down the system, press the ‘Exit’ button shown in figure 8.3A Figure 8.3A You need to confirm in Figure 8.3B to shut down the system Figure 8.3B After you press the ‘Yes’ button in Figure 8.3B, the system will start to shut down. When you see the computer screen turn black, you can lower the machine to its minimum height. Unplug Full-Face Polling Official’s Manual Version 2.0 ©2001-2007 Avante International Technology, Inc.
the power cord from the wall outlet and put it back in the battery compartment, shown in figure 8.3C. Figure 8.3C Turn off the TrippLite unit by moving the power switch back to the center as demonstrated in figure 8.3D. Lock the battery box and the back service door. Figure 8.3D You may leave the seal of the VVPB compartment door intact. The seal will be broken later if a manual recount is required. Now you must remove and stow the privacy curtains (a process illustrated in figure 8.3E).
Close the front cover of the machine. Lock the two locks on the front of the machine and the one on the side. 8.4 DELIVERING THE TALLY RESULT After the machine is shut down, polling officials are responsible for delivering the tally result to the tabulation center. Make sure that you have the CD from every voting unit, the ‘total’ CD if you have consolidated your polling place’s tally, and the paper tally reports for each voting unit.
9 OTHER DUTIES Besides the regular polling official duties explained in the previous sections, there may be other responsibilities as explained below. 9.1 VOTING DEMONSTRATION (‘TEST VOTING’ MODE) Any voting unit can be used as a demo machine to train voters on how to vote on the touchscreen system. You must NOT perform the ‘Open Poll’ procedure on the demo-voting unit unless you want to turn this demo unit into a real voting unit. To set up a demo machine, follow the instructions in section 3.
Press the ‘OK’ button in figure 9.1B. You will see figure 9.1C appear, indicating that the machine is ready for you to use the ‘Test Voting’ feature. Please refer to section 6 for instructions on how to vote on the voting unit. Figure 9.1C To get a ‘Test Voting’ ballot, you need a ‘Test Voting’ card. Please refer to section 6.2.1 for how to get a ‘Test Voting’ card. This card is reusable for repetitive test voting. To exit the ‘Test Voting’ mode and return to the administrative screen (figure 9.
9.2 CHANGING THE PAPER ROLL This task should rarely be rarely necessary during an election. Each printer will have a new, 1,000 ft. roll of paper when it arrives at a polling location. In case the paper runs out during an election, it needs to be changed. To remove the paper, unlock the top and side locks on the printer, shown in figures 3.1J(1), 3.1J(2), and 3.1J(3). Lower the front panel of the printer and lift up the top, exposing the printer inside, re-pictured here in figure 9.2A. Figure 9.
