Sequoia (Dominion) AVC Advantage

Name/Model: AVC Advantage
Vendor: Sequoia Voting Systems (now owned and distributed by Dominion Voting)
Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail Capability: None

Click Here for Instructions on How top Vote on the Sequoia AVC-Advantage

Brief Description: The AVC Advantage is a poll worker-activated full-face direct recording electronic voting system with a touch-sensitive matrix of switches that voters push to indicate their choices. Voting records are recorded internally to battery-powered RAM. Poll workers activate the machine using an operator panel on the side of the machine to choose the ballot style and voters make choices by touching a black arrow next to their choice. A record of the vote is then recorded internally to three sets of battery-powered RAM memory. When polls are closed, poll workers remove a cartridge of battery-powered RAM that contains the vote records from each machine. These cartridges are then either physically transported to a tabulation facility or their contents transmitted over modem.

Detailed Voting Process: The voter enters the polling place and is given a voting ticket after confirming that the voter is registered. The voting ticket is a colored piece of paper with two identical and unique numbers. The voter hands their ticket to a poll worker operating an Advantage voting machine and then tears the voting ticket in half and hands one half back to the voter. The poll worker uses an operator’s panel on the side of the machine to choose the ballot style appropriate for that voter depending on the color of their voting ticket. The voter enters the curtains (see picture above) and verifies that their ballot is the right one by comparing the color of their ticket to a LCD screen in the lower-right corner of the front of the voting machine. Then the voter votes by pressing a black arrow next to each choice in each race on the ballot. Blinking lights above each race indicate that no choice has been made in that race. If the voter tries to choose more than one choice in a given race (over-voting), the machine will ignore the second choice. To change a selection, voter can press the black arrow by the incorrect choice to deselect it, then select the correct choice.

When done voting, the voter presses a “Cast Vote” button in the lower-right corner of the voting machine. It is very important that the voter does not push the vote-casting button until they are done voting; a vote inadvertently cast can likely not be redone. The vote is recorded internally to three sets of battery-powered RAM, one of which is on a removable cartridge. The vote records are stored in a manner similar to a ballot image.

When the polls close, poll workers remove cartridges of battery-powered RAM containing the vote records from each machine. At this point, depending on local election procedure and regulations, the cartridges can either be physically transported to a tabulation facility or their data can be sent over a modem. At the tabulation facility, the votes from all cartridges and precincts are read into vote tabulation databases and combined to result in an aggregate vote tally. In order to send vote records over a modem, a cartridge reader must read out each cartridge and then a modem in the cartridge reader can be used to transmit the votes over telephone lines. The cartridge reader can also print out a results tape of all votes cast in a precinct. The total tape and cartridges can then become part of the official record of the election.

References

New Jersey Sequoia Advantage Report