Florida Voting Machines: DS200 by ESS
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| Also listed in: Florida Orange County Precinct 401 | Florida Voter Data Base | Orange County Democratic Party | Polling and Statistical Analysis | Voting Rights |
The Orange County, Florida canvassing board had a 7 AM logic and accuracy test this morning. Two words got me out of bed, "butter-fly ballot."
A lesson of 2000 is that if you are offered the opportunity to preview part of the voting process; take it or you will regret it for the next 8 years.
The DS200 is a scanner that is slightly larger than a laptop computer that has a flip up LCD screen. The DS200 scans a voter inserted paper ballot and the ejects the ballot into a ballot box.
Three issues:
1. OVERVOTE OVERRIDEIf there is an over vote the machine returns the ballot with an informative message and the voter is offered two on screen buttons, "Accept" or "Return." If the voter touches "Accept" the over voted ballot is done the over voted ballot is accepted (but not counted), if the voter touches "Return" they can have their ballot spoiled and be given the opportunity to vote again (up to three times under Florida law). The override is a little too easy and may lead the type of problems we had at Catalina Elementary where a clerk simply pressed the override switch and accepted overvoted ballots.
2. WRONG PRECINCT/CRYPTIC ERROR MESSAGE - During Early Voting a ballot on demand (BOD) is printed along with a pink sheet that the voter has to sign, acknowledging their address and specifying their precinct and ballot type number. The precinct has to be hand typed into the DS200 and then the inserted ballot has to match. If the number typed into the DS200 does not match the ballot a cryptic error message appears that only refers to a sequence error -- not to the precinct number.
3. RECOUNT LAW -- Under Florida Statute 102.141(7) if the vote is within one-half percent or less the ballots are "recounted" by feeding through the scanners again. Under Florida Statute 102.166 if the vote is within one-quarter of one percent, the canvassing board shall order, "a manual recount of the overvotes and undervotes cast in the entire geographic jurisdiction of such office or ballot measure. A manual recount may not be ordered, however, if the number of overvotes, undervotes, and provisional ballots is fewer than the number of votes needed to change the outcome of the election. "
There is no law requiring a complete manual recount. There is also and audit that takes place only after the results have been certified by the canvassing board. The audit is not part of the election results. The certified results can be contested in court.
One the whole the machines and processes seemed pretty good. The scanners did reject ballots with small creases and during the test at one point the DS200 was a fickle as a dollar bill changer machine rejecting paper money.
The machines are programmed by a USB (flash memory) stick and the USB port is behind a locked panel, so the USB stick would not be casually replaced.
The DS200 plugs into a wall AC power outlet, but are battery powered like a laptop computer. There is an icon on the LCD screen indicating that it is plugged in and the status of the battery power. SOE testing indicated the DS200 had a 3 hour battery life under heavy use.
On power up a message indicates the DS200 has a VIA technologies main board. Also at power up the DS200 indicates it is zeroed out on a paper tape similar to an adding machine or cash register, except that the tape is thermal paper. The DS200 also has a brief onscreen message saying it is zeroed out. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) has a detailed checklist for the poll clerk to use, "DS-200 INSTRUCTION MANUAL." Step 30 is "DO NOT REMOVE THIS ZERO TAPE!!" Step 31 is "make sure the tape reads zero counts then roll up the tape using a paper clip. Initial on the "Ballot Box Report" on the Election Media Control Form."
The DS200 reports its results by both modem over the phone and by hand delivery of the USB stick. During the day, a voice line and a laptop computer are plugged into phone jacks in the wall of the polling location. After the polls close, the laptop is unplugged and the DS200 is plugged into the phone jack so the DS200 can modem in the results. The DS200 is NOT connected to the phone network during the election and thus is not vulnerable to direct dial up attack. Social engineering attacks are another issue, but at least it is not connected to a communications network until after the election is over.
Jim Callahan
acting as in my capacity as
Board Member at Large of the
Orange County, FL Democratic Party
Orlando, FL
A lesson of 2000 is that if you are offered the opportunity to preview part of the voting process; take it or you will regret it for the next 8 years.
The DS200 is a scanner that is slightly larger than a laptop computer that has a flip up LCD screen. The DS200 scans a voter inserted paper ballot and the ejects the ballot into a ballot box.
Three issues:
1. OVERVOTE OVERRIDEIf there is an over vote the machine returns the ballot with an informative message and the voter is offered two on screen buttons, "Accept" or "Return." If the voter touches "Accept" the over voted ballot is done the over voted ballot is accepted (but not counted), if the voter touches "Return" they can have their ballot spoiled and be given the opportunity to vote again (up to three times under Florida law). The override is a little too easy and may lead the type of problems we had at Catalina Elementary where a clerk simply pressed the override switch and accepted overvoted ballots.
2. WRONG PRECINCT/CRYPTIC ERROR MESSAGE - During Early Voting a ballot on demand (BOD) is printed along with a pink sheet that the voter has to sign, acknowledging their address and specifying their precinct and ballot type number. The precinct has to be hand typed into the DS200 and then the inserted ballot has to match. If the number typed into the DS200 does not match the ballot a cryptic error message appears that only refers to a sequence error -- not to the precinct number.
3. RECOUNT LAW -- Under Florida Statute 102.141(7) if the vote is within one-half percent or less the ballots are "recounted" by feeding through the scanners again. Under Florida Statute 102.166 if the vote is within one-quarter of one percent, the canvassing board shall order, "a manual recount of the overvotes and undervotes cast in the entire geographic jurisdiction of such office or ballot measure. A manual recount may not be ordered, however, if the number of overvotes, undervotes, and provisional ballots is fewer than the number of votes needed to change the outcome of the election. "
There is no law requiring a complete manual recount. There is also and audit that takes place only after the results have been certified by the canvassing board. The audit is not part of the election results. The certified results can be contested in court.
One the whole the machines and processes seemed pretty good. The scanners did reject ballots with small creases and during the test at one point the DS200 was a fickle as a dollar bill changer machine rejecting paper money.
The machines are programmed by a USB (flash memory) stick and the USB port is behind a locked panel, so the USB stick would not be casually replaced.
The DS200 plugs into a wall AC power outlet, but are battery powered like a laptop computer. There is an icon on the LCD screen indicating that it is plugged in and the status of the battery power. SOE testing indicated the DS200 had a 3 hour battery life under heavy use.
On power up a message indicates the DS200 has a VIA technologies main board. Also at power up the DS200 indicates it is zeroed out on a paper tape similar to an adding machine or cash register, except that the tape is thermal paper. The DS200 also has a brief onscreen message saying it is zeroed out. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) has a detailed checklist for the poll clerk to use, "DS-200 INSTRUCTION MANUAL." Step 30 is "DO NOT REMOVE THIS ZERO TAPE!!" Step 31 is "make sure the tape reads zero counts then roll up the tape using a paper clip. Initial on the "Ballot Box Report" on the Election Media Control Form."
The DS200 reports its results by both modem over the phone and by hand delivery of the USB stick. During the day, a voice line and a laptop computer are plugged into phone jacks in the wall of the polling location. After the polls close, the laptop is unplugged and the DS200 is plugged into the phone jack so the DS200 can modem in the results. The DS200 is NOT connected to the phone network during the election and thus is not vulnerable to direct dial up attack. Social engineering attacks are another issue, but at least it is not connected to a communications network until after the election is over.
Jim Callahan
acting as in my capacity as
Board Member at Large of the
Orange County, FL Democratic Party
Orlando, FL
Maybe we should just go low tech and just have one candidate on the ballot. The probability for error is zero.
It gives the impression of needing an engineering degree to vote and count the vote. Is that a deterrent for the elderly, for example?
Seems to provide a lot of critical points for fraud and abuse?
Does not appear to be an improvement over more traditional methods?
Can't help but be highly skeptical about highly volatile mediums to collect and generate polling data. Easily corrupted deliberately or by accident.
Thanks for taking the time for the presentation!
Very best wishes.