Sequoia (Dominion) Optech Insight Optical Scan

Name/Model: Optech Insight and Optech Insight Plus
Vendor: Sequoia Voting Systems (now owned and distributed by Dominion Voting)
Voting System Demo Video (Alameda Co. CA)

Instructions on How To Vote on the Sequoia Insight

Brief Description: (NB) This page describes both the Optech Insight and the Optech Insight Plus as “the Insight.” Both are optical scan machines, which are used to read and tabulate ballots at the polling place. According to the California Secretary of State’s 2007 Top-to-Bottom Review of voting systems, the major difference between the Insight and the Insight Plus seems to be that the Insight Plus has an LCD screen for displaying messages to voters. On both models, there is also a small four-digit LED screen that shows how many ballots have been accepted since the polls opened.

The Optech Insight consists of an electronic ballot counting device which reads completed ballots by scanning for the voters’ marks indicating their preferences. The scanner sits atop a ballot box. The Optech Insight also tabulates the results after the polls close, which are both printed on a paper copy and stored to an internal memory card. The Insight runs off both internal and external power to reduce the risk of malfunctions, and it can store voter data on an internal memory card.

Voting on the Optech Insight and Insight Plus: Upon entering the polling place, the voter will receive a paper ballot. The voter makes choices on her ballot by connecting an arrow next to her choice of candidate or issue position. The voter inserts the ballot into the scanner at the top of the device, which reads the marks on the ballot. If the voter has overvoted (voted for more candidates than eligible), the Insight will eject the ballot for the voter to review again, or deposit the ballot into the ballot box. If the voter has cast a write-in vote, the scanner will feed the ballot into a center bin so that pollworkers may process the write-in votes. Ballots that require no review by pollworkers are deposited into a rear bin. A front, auxiliary bin is available in case the machine is not functioning during polling hours; voters deposit ballots into the auxilary bin manually, but they will not be able to use the auxilary bin unless pollworkers have unlocked it. As votes are entered, the Optech Insight stores the vote tallies on its internal memory card, and when the polls close, the Optech Insight prints out a paper copy of the election results for polling officials.

The Insight has an optional modem for transmitting election results, and can also transmit results via a proprietary Sequoia device called a Hybrid Activator and Accumulator (HAAT). The HAAT accumulates results from machines in a polling place, and transmits them to the jurisidiction’s central election office via a wireless cellular network.

References

California Top to Bottom Review (2007)

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting_systems/ttbr/red_sequoia.pdf

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting_systems/ttbr/sequoia_doc_final.pdf