Sequoia (Dominion) AVC Edge Touchscreen Voting Machine

Name/Model: AVC Edge Touchscreen Voting Machine
Vendor: Sequoia Voting Systems, Inc. (now owned and distributed by Dominion Voting)
Voter-Verifiable Paper Trail Capability: Yes, if equipped with VeriVote printer

Click Here for Instructions on How to Vote on the Sequoia Edge

Voting Demo (without VVPAT)

Brief Description: The Sequoia AVC Edge is a touch screen direct-recording electronic voting machine.  It is a multilingual voting system activated by a smart card and  records votes on internal flash memory.  Voters insert a “smart-card” into the machine and then make their choices by touching an area on a computer screen, much in the same way that modern ATMs work. The votes are then recorded to internal electronic flash memory. When polls close, the votes for a particular machine are written to a
“PCMCIA card” which is removed from the system and either physically transported to election headquarters or their contents transmitted via computer network.

Checking the Voter-Verifiable Paper Trail: The Edge’s optional voter-verifiable paper-trail printer is called the VeriVote. The VeriVote printer is a cash-register type printer and is located to the left of the touch screen. Jurisdictions which use the Edge but do not equip their machines with the VeriVote include the state of Louisiana.

Detailed Voting Process: When the voter enters the precinct, he or she is given a “smart-card” by a poll worker after confirming the voter is registered. A “smart-card” is a card the size and shape of a credit-card which contains a computer chip, some memory and possibly basic data such as the voter’s political party. The voter then takes the smartcard to a voting machine and inserts the smart-card into the yellow slot visible in the middle picture above. The first screen presented to the voter is one that allows him or her to choose the ballot language. After using the touchscreen to vote, 1) the record of the vote is directly recorded electronically to two flash memory cards and 2) the voter’s smart card is reset to ensure that the voter can only vote once. The AVC Edge may also be equipped in some precincts to print a voter-verifiable paper audit trail using the VeriVote printer. In this case, the voter will inspect the printout which is displayed underneath glass. If the paper accurately reflects the vote, the voter indicates so using the touchscreen and casts the vote; the printed paper is withdrawn into the machine to protect privacy. If the paper is incorrect, the voter may mark it as spoiled and change his or her vote using the touchscreen interface. After the vote is cast, the smart-card pops out of the machine and the voter returns it to a poll worker.

When the polls close, a poll worker or election official inserts a different-type of smart card, an administrator card, into each voting machine and puts the machine into a postelection mode where it will no longer record votes. At this point, the machine writes the votes from its internal memory to flash memory on a PCMCIA card, a removable form of flash memory. A printed tape of all votes cast or vote
totals for the voting machine can also be printed out at this time depending on local procedure and regulations.

The PCMCIA cards are removed from each machine and either taken to a central tabulation facility or to remote tabulation facilities. At the tabulation facility the votes are copied from the PCMCIA cards and into a central computer database where precincts are combined to result in an aggregate vote. The votes may also be transmitted to the central tabulation facility via a closed “Intranet”, the Internet or modem. The PCMCIA cards and possible any printouts from the voting machines can then become part of the official record of the election.

References:
“DRE Security Assessment, Volume 1, Computerized Voting Systems, Summary of Findings and
Recommendations,” InfoSENTRY, 21 Nov. 2003.

“Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Technical Security Assessment Report,” Compuware Corporation, 21
Nov. 2003.