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US 12,125,319 B2Granted
Optical character recognition of voter selections for cast vote records
AssigneeHart InterCivic, Inc.
InventorsJames M. Canter, Drew E. Tinney, Ievgen Konovalenko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
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.
Claims40
A method for electronic voting using printed vote records, comprising:
- generating a printed vote record of at least one vote selection of a voter;
- providing, on the printed vote record, voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- electronically capturing information from the printed vote record;
- using optical character recognition (OCR) on at least a portion of the electronically captured information to generate a first data set, the first data set based at least in part on the voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- comparing the first data set to a second data set, the second data set obtained from the printed vote record;
- and
- generating a cast vote record, which is to be a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selections and to be the voter's casted vote used for vote tabulation, the cast vote record indicating the voter's at least one vote selection, wherein, prior to generating any cast vote record which is to be a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selections and to be the voter's casted vote used for vote tabulation, an accuracy of data to be cast is confirmed based at least in part on a comparison of the first data set and the second data set.
4 more elements
A method for electronic voting using printed vote records, comprising:
- generating a printed vote record of at least one vote selection of a voter;
- providing, on the printed vote record, voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- electronically capturing first information from the printed vote record;
- using optical character recognition (OCR) on the first information to generate a first data set, the first data set based at least in part on the voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- electronically capturing second information from the printed vote record, to generate a second data set, the second information comprising encoded data;
- comparing the first data set to a second data set;
- and
- generating a cast vote record indicating the voter's at least one vote selection, the cast vote record being a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selections, wherein, prior to generating any cast vote record which is to be a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selections, an accuracy of data to be cast is confirmed based at least in part on a comparison of the first data set and the second data set.
5 more elements
An electronic voting system for using printed vote records, comprising:
- a printer configured to generate a printed vote record of at least one vote selection of a voter, the printed vote record including voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- a scanner configured to (1) electronically capture first information from the printed vote record, the first information including the voter readable text, and (2) electronically capture second information from the printed vote record, the second information comprising encoded data;
- and
- a processor configured to (1) use optical character recognition (OCR) on the first information to generate a first data set based at least in part on the voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection, (2) generate a cast vote record which is to be a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selection indicating the voter's at least one vote selection based on the first data set and which is to be the voter's casted vote used for vote tabulation, and (3) generate a second data set from the second information, and
- wherein, the processor is further configured such that prior to generating the cast vote record which is to be a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selections and to be used for vote tabulation, an accuracy of data to be cast is confirmed based at least in part on a comparison of the first data set and the second data set.
2 more elements
A method for electronic voting using printed vote records, comprising:
- generating a printed vote record of at least one vote selection of a voter;
- providing, on the printed vote record, voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- electronically capturing first information from the printed vote record;
- using optical character recognition (OCR) on the first information to generate a first data set, the first data set based at least in part on the voter readable text indicating the voter's at least one vote selection;
- electronically capturing second information from the printed vote record, to generate a second data set, the second information comprising encoded data;
- comparing the first data set to a second data set;
- confirming an accuracy of the at least one vote selection of the voter based at least in part on a comparison of the first data set and the second data set;
- after confirming an accuracy of the at least one vote selection, generating a cast vote record which is to be a stored record of all of the voter's final vote selections and which is to be the voter's casted vote used for vote tabulation, the cast vote record indicating the voter's at least one vote selection as determined by the first data set;
- the cast vote record being generated after the comparing the first data set and the second data set;
- and
- tabulating an election utilizing the cast vote record before vote auditing.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.