Integrated vote by mail processing system

A method comprising:

• (a) receiving a stack of returned ballot envelopes into a feed tray of a ballot envelope scanner system of a ballot envelope processing system, wherein each returned ballot envelope includes a voter identifier and a voter signature, wherein the ballot envelope processing system includes at least one computer in operative connection with the ballot envelope scanner system, wherein the ballot envelope scanner system includes at least one drive device, a feed portion, a processing portion, and an output portion, wherein the feed portion includes the feed tray which is configured to receive the stack of returned ballot envelopes, wherein the processing portion includes at least one scanning device, wherein the output portion includes an accepted tray and a rejected tray;
• (b) operating the ballot envelope processing system to:
• (b1) cause each returned ballot envelope to be automatically driven relative to the at least one scanning device by the at least one drive device,
• (b2) cause the voter identifier and the voter signature to be automatically scanned by the at least one scanning device;
• (c) operating the at least one computer to retrieve at least one stored signature correlated with the voter identifier scanned in step (b2);
• (d) operating the at least one computer to enable a decision to be made on verification of the voter signature, wherein the decision is based on comparison of data corresponding to the voter signature scanned in step (b2) with data corresponding to the at least one stored signature retrieved in step (c);
• (e) storing data reflective of the decision;
• and
• (f) operating the at least one drive device to move each returned ballot envelope into one of the accepted tray and rejected tray.

An apparatus comprising:

• a ballot envelope processing system including at least one drive device and at least one scanning device, wherein the at least one drive device is operative to cause a returned ballot envelope including a voter identifier and a voter signature to be automatically driven relative to the at least one scanning device, wherein the at least one scanning device is operative to cause the voter identifier and the voter signature to be automatically scanned from the returned ballot envelope,
• at least one computer in operative connection with the at least one scanning device, wherein the at least one computer is operative to retrieve at least one stored signature correlated with the voter identifier scanned by the at least one scanning device, wherein the at least one computer is operative to enable a decision to be made on verification of a voter signature, wherein the decision is based on comparison of data corresponding to the voter signature scanned by the at least one scanning device with data corresponding to the at least one stored signature retrieved by the at least one computer, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store data reflective of the decision;
• an output unit in operative connection with the at least one computer, wherein the output unit is operative to store the ballot envelope;
• wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate with at least one database to determine whether the voter identifier scanned from the returned ballot envelope by the at least one scanning device is a valid voter identifier, and
• wherein the at least one computer is further operative to determine a bin number and a sequence number designating a location in which the ballot envelope is to be stored and then cause an endorsement comprising the bin number and the sequence number to be printed on the returned ballot envelope.