Ballot image processing system and method for voting machines

摘要

A ballot processing system and method processes paper ballots, such as by optically scanning or optically reading those ballots. The ballot image processing system corrects for, or is able to differentiate valid voting marks from, ballot printing errors such as skewed printing, incorrect sizing, and speckling. Further, the ballot image processing system, after determining whether each of the voting marks is valid or not, associates audit data with the ballot that corresponds to the decision regarding each voting mark.

主权项

1. A ballot image processing system comprising:
an optical ballot scanner that scans ballots to produce an image of each ballot; an image processing portion that processes the image of the ballot with digital image processing techniques by using marks on the ballot to correct for ballot skew and image size variations, the image processing portion being configured to analyze voting target areas on the ballot and make a target decision regarding each mark by identifying specific allowed voting marks on the ballot to assess voter intentions; a printer to print audit data onto the ballot after the ballot has been cast, the audit data including information regarding each target decision made by the image processing portion; and a vote tallying system to tally voting results that uses target decision data generated by the image processing portion to supplement the ballot image during review, the supplementing of the ballot image includes at least one color coded highlight indicating target mark categorization and strength of the target decision data.