A networked system of connected and trackable document deposit and destruction kiosks can be used to remotely dispose of and destroy confidential documents and monitors and records compliance with employer document destruction policies. A networked system of connected ballot deposit kiosks can be used to safely deposit, track, and verify the locations of completed ballots and to monitor and track the subsequent collection of the ballots by election officials or other authorized persons.

A see through apparatus receives a paper document. The see through apparatus includes a first scanning element, a second scanning element, and a processor coupled to the first scanning element and the second scanning element. Each of the first and second scanning elements illuminate a respective side of the paper document while the other scanning element captures an image. The processor detects kinematic artifacts on the paper document and determines that the paper document is fraudulent based on the detected kinematic artifacts. The processor also detects an alignment feature from the image capture from the first image or the second image, and determines that the document is not aligned based on the detected alignment feature.

A see through apparatus receives a paper document. The see through apparatus includes a first scanning element, a second scanning element, and a processor coupled to the first scanning element and the second scanning element. Each of the first and second scanning elements illuminate a respective side of the paper document while the other scanning element captures an image. The processor detects kinematic artifacts on the paper document and determines that the paper document is fraudulent based on the detected kinematic artifacts. The processor also detects an alignment feature from the image capture from the first image or the second image, and determines that the document is not aligned based on the detected alignment feature.

The voting method (30) comprises: a step (32) of a voter selecting a candidate or a proposition put to a vote, using an interface of a terminal (11); a step (34) of the terminal writing information representative of the choice made by the voter to the memory (25) of a ballot sheet, a step (35) of printing (22) the choice made by the voter on the surface of the ballot sheet, a step (36) of dispensing the printed ballot sheet (20) to be slid into a ballot box (15), a step (38, 39) of inserting the ballot sheet into the ballot box, a step (40) of the ballot box (15) reading the memory of the ballot sheet, a step (42) of storing the numbers of ballots expressing the various possible choices, a step (33) of the terminal determining a unique code, unique for at least the ongoing ballot, independent of the identity of the voter, of the order of arrival of the voter or of any document that may have been issued prior to the time when the ballot sheet was issued, and a step (34) of writing the indeterminable code to the memory of the ballot sheet.

An electronic voting system is described that utilizes printed vote records (PVRs) in which a voter's vote selections are recorded in voter readable characters. Optical character recognition (OCR) techniques may then be utilized to scan the PVR to record the voter's selections. The OCR data is then utilized to generate the cast vote record. Thus, the electronic voting system directly interprets the voter selections from the PVR just as the voter sees the data. In this manner “what you see is what you get” printed vote record data is provided for a voter's viewing and that same data is used to generate the cast vote record.

The system and method providing enhanced security ballot image records of the present invention includes an enhanced security ballot image tabulator and an enhanced security ballot image audit station. The tabulator processes each ballot of a plurality of ballots to be tabulated to provide an enhanced security ballot image record having diachronically and synchronically coordinated enhanced security ballot image files, each for another ballot of the plurality of ballots to be tabulated. The enhanced security ballot image record may be broadcast upon completion of tabulation and/or simulcast real time during tabulation or otherwise provided such as on a secure media upon completion of tabulation to the public or other parties interested in the tabulation of cast votes. The enhanced security audit station receives the enhanced security ballot image record and analyzes it to selectively identify out-of-bounds diachronic and/or synchronic security parameters. Any identified ballots may then be reviewed by election officials or other interested parties for validity and authentication purposes. The tabulator may be used to also produce images of the voter sign-in sheets, for the purpose of analytic correlation with the enhanced security files of the enhanced security ballot image record and their tabulation.

The system and method providing enhanced security ballot image records of the present invention includes an enhanced security ballot image tabulator and an enhanced security ballot image audit station. The tabulator processes each ballot of a plurality of ballots to be tabulated to provide an enhanced security ballot image record having diachronically and synchronically coordinated enhanced security ballot image files, each for another ballot of the plurality of ballots to be tabulated. The enhanced security ballot image record may be broadcast upon completion of tabulation and/or simulcast real time during tabulation or otherwise provided such as on a secure media upon completion of tabulation to the public or other parties interested in the tabulation of cast votes. The enhanced security audit station receives the enhanced security ballot image record and analyzes it to selectively identify out-of-bounds diachronic and/or synchronic security parameters. Any identified ballots may then be reviewed by election officials or other interested parties for validity and authentication purposes. The tabulator may be used to also produce images of the voter sign-in sheets, for the purpose of analytic correlation with the enhanced security files of the enhanced security ballot image record and their tabulation.

A ballot drop box adapted to collect voting ballots. The drop box is a shell having an interior and an exterior. A chute is used by the voter to deposit their ballot. Within the drop box is a scale which collects the deposited ballot from the chute. The scale determines if a single ballot has been deposited or multiple ballots. Based on this determination, the ballot(s) are sent to an “acceptable” bin within the box or to a “further investigation needed” bin. An alternative embodiment marks the she submitted ballot(s) allowing a later determination if the ballots have been “stuffed”.

A ballot drop box adapted to collect voting ballots. The drop box is a shell having an interior and an exterior. A chute is used by the voter to deposit their ballot. Within the drop box is a scale which collects the deposited ballot from the chute. The scale determines if a single ballot has been deposited or multiple ballots. Based on this determination, the ballot(s) are sent to an “acceptable” bin within the box or to a “further investigation needed” bin. An alternative embodiment marks the she submitted ballot(s) allowing a later determination if the ballots have been “stuffed”.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus comprising: a substrate; communication circuitry deposited on said substrate; and ballot circuitry deposited on said substrate. The ballot circuitry comprises: a plurality of voting circuitry elements, each voting circuitry element being responsive to a voting operation to change a conductive state of that voting circuitry element; and logic circuitry communicatively coupled with each of the plurality of voting circuitry elements and with the communication circuitry. The logic circuitry is configured to: detect the conductive state of each of the plurality of voting circuitry elements; and transmit, via the communication circuitry and based on the conductive state of each of the plurality of voting circuitry elements, a voting result.