Options for Voting Systems

This chart summarizes voting devices to aid the disabled in voting at the polls. These will be used at the polls in addition to paper ballots. All of the systems have the following properties:

All are HAVA compliant, with minor exceptions. (There is no agency which actually tests for HAVA compliance.)
All support multiple languages, e.g. English, Chinese, and Spanish.
All have audio for visually impaired.
All can be configured to protect against overvotes and warn of undervotes.
Vendors will all promise to deliver in time, but have been missing delivery dates throughout the country

	Diebold TSx Touchscreen DRE	Sequoia Edge Touchscreen DRE	ES&S Automark Touchscreen	EqualiVote
How is vote recorded?	On Computer Memory Card		On paper ballot
Voter interface	touchscreen, audio	touchscreen, audio, sip 'n' puff for disabled [1]	touchscreen, audio, sip 'n' puff for disabled	plastic guides, tactile features, audio
Can Voting Device Alter Vote Totals?	Yes		No
Certified?	Certified with conditions	Certified		Needs Secretary of State approval
Chances of Being Decertified	High[3]	Medium[4]	Low
Purchase Cost	High, but within HAVA funding			Low, within HAVA funding
Vendor Maintenance, License Costs, Drayage, Storage Costs	High			Low
Non-visual access to paper trail/ballot info?	No, violating California law & standards[2]		Yes, via audio read-back
Can voter change vote based on paper trail/ballot output?	Yes, except visually impaired.	Yes, except visually impaired and sip 'n' puff users	Yes

[1] If sip 'n' puff for disabled users or audio is used with Sequoia Edge, it assumes the user is totally blind and the screen is blanked and the voter is not given a chance to verify the paper trail.
[2] This violates both Elections Code 19250-19251 and the Accessible Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail standard, both which require a non-visual access method as part of the Accessible Paper Trail.
[3] The Diebold TSx does not have an Accessible Paper Trail, violates federal voting standards (e.g. for including interpretive code), is know to be hackable in many ways, and there is a lawsuit to decertify it.
[4] The Sequoia Edge does not have an Accessible Paper Trail, has many problems, and Voter Action, which filed suit against Alameda County for using Diebold, has announced the next step is to file suit against the Sequoia Edge DRE in California.

JB: May 25, 2006