Hart Intercivic eSlate DRE

Name/Model: eSlate
Vendor: Hart InterCivic, Inc.
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail Capability: Yes VBO (Verifiable Ballot Option)

Click Here for Instructions on How to Vote on the Hart Intercivic eSlate

Brief Description: Hart InterCivic’s eSlate is a multilingual voter-activated electronic voting system where the voter turns a Select Wheel and pushes a button to indicate his/her preference. The eSlate is connected via cable to the Judge’s Booth Controller (JBC; image above) which provides vote activation and vote storage for up to twelve eSlates. A poll worker issues a four digit, randomly generated Access Code to the voter using the JBC. The voter enters the Access Code on the eSlate and votes using the select Wheel and Buttons. Once the ballot is cast, the votes are stored in redundant and physically separate areas of the eSlate System, including the eSlate, JBC and flash memory. The votes are transmitted via a cable to the JBC, and are stored on the JBC and on a flash memory card (Mobile Ballot Box or MBB) inside the JBC. Then the MBB is physically transported to election headquarters for tabulation.

Checking the Voter-Verifiable Paper Trail: The voter-verifiable paper trail for the eSlate is called the Verified Ballot Option (VBO). The VBO printer is a reel-to-reel, cash-register style of printer. The VBO printout is found to the left of the display screen under glass.

Detailed Voting Process: When the voter enters the precinct, poll workers first confirm that the voter is properly registered. Then, a poll worker using the Judge’s Booth Controller (JBC) prints out a piece of paper with a four digit, randomly generated Access Code. This number does not tie to the voter’s identity but ties to the voter’s precinct so that the proper ballot style for each voter will appear on the eSlate after a voter enters his/her Access Code. A voter is NOT assigned to any specific voting terminal. A voter can proceed to any open eSlate booth.

The voter takes the piece of paper with the Access Code to any open eSlate booth and enters the number into the eSlate device using the Select Wheel and Enter button. This Access Code number permits the voter to vote once; the Access Code will not work a second time. The voter makes his or her selections using the buttons and Select Wheel on the bottom of the eSlate. The Select Wheel allows the voter to navigate through the ballot. When the voter is finished, he or she presses the red “Cast Ballot” button at the lower left-hand corner of the eSlate to cast his/her ballot. Access Codes cannot be reissued by the JBC.

It is possible for a voter to ask a poll-worker if his/her Access Code has registered a ballot on the JBC. If the voter has completed the voting process and cast a ballot, the pollworker can print off a piece of paper similar to the Access Code that lists the voter’s Access Code number and reads “Assigned and Cast.” Again the Access Code is a randomly generated number and does not tie to the identity of the voter.

The ballot is then transmitted over the cable that connects the eSlate to the JBC on a closed, private network. This cable is a “serial” cable and carries both power and data. Up to twelve eSlates can be connected via this serial cable to the JBC. The JBC records and stores the ballot internally and on a flash memory card or Mobile Ballot Box (MBB).

Additionally, each ballot is stored on the individual eSlate voting unit so that all ballots are stored redundantly in separate areas of the eSlate System. The MBB is a removable PCMCIA computer card that stores vote data as well as the ballot definitions needed to open the polls for a given election. The PCMCIA card is a credit card-sized device containing flash memory that is sealed into a slot on the JBC.

Once the balloting is closed, the poll workers use the printer on the JBC to print summary results on to paper. Then the poll workers either remove the MBB and physically transport it with any printouts to a central tabulation facility or they can transport the JBC itself depending on local regulations and procedures.

References:
CA Top to Bottom (T2B) Review
Source Code Review
Penetration Test Report
Documentation Review

Ohio EVEREST Review
Executive Summary
Technical Manager Report
Technical Details Report
Final Full Report
Final Technical Report