TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a receptacle for the collection of paper ballots during a voting process and, more particularly, to a removable system for inclusion within a voting machine for collecting paper ballots as they are cast, a container component of the removable system configured to be sealed after removal from the voting machine to ensure the security of the paper ballots.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of different types of voting equipment are currently in use, spanning the technology from a paper ballot dropped in a box to an electronic ballot presented on a screen for use by a voter. In all likelihood, today's voting equipment comprises a combination of different types of voting media and, in fact, there remains a heightened level of trust associated with a voting process that creates a “paper trail” that may later be used to confirm the tabulated votes.

Thus, many jurisdictions utilize electronic voting machines that include the capability of scanning individual paper ballots to tabulate the voter's choices. As a result, a voter-verifiable paper record of actual votes cast on an individual machine may be created and retained. The paper record can then be compared to the scanned results and vote tallies for auditing purposes. Conventional machines of this type typically allow for the paper ballots to drop down into the interior of the machine after being scanned.

Depending on the physical properties of such electronic voting machines, the actual paper ballots may adhere to an inner wall of the machine, become stuck within a small opening where sidewalls of a machine join together, etc. Additionally, if the individual paper ballots are permitted to just accumulate in a “loose” fashion within an inner cavity of the voting machine, there may arise a concern in security when the machine is later emptied to transfer the paper ballots to another container for storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The needs remaining in the art are addressed by the present invention, which relates to a secure ballot collection system including a removable container for inclusion within a voting machine for collecting paper ballots as they are cast, the container itself capable of being sealed after removal from the voting machine to ensure the security of the paper ballots.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the secure ballot collection system includes a removable ballot container bag that is placed within a voting machine, particularly located on a raised floor platform that is also positioned within the interior of the voting machine. The platform is used to position the removable ballot container bag so as to be in line with an access opening formed in the voting machine. That is the platform is sufficiently “raised” with respect to the floor of the voting machine so that an election official has easy access to the interior of the voting machine from a side opening and allows for the ballot container bag to be located at a height where it is relatively straightforward for an individual to place an “empty” container bag prior to beginning of the voting process, as well as remove a “filled” container bag at some point in time thereafter. The container bag itself may be sized to hold a predetermined number of paper ballots (for example, 500 ballots), so that after that number of ballots has been cast, the voting machine is “paused” and opened; the filled container bag is removed (and secured) and an empty bag is put in its place on the raised floor platform. Once the empty bag is in position, the voting process is resumed and carries on in similar fashion.

The raised floor platform is preferably formed of a transparent material (such as an acrylic) so that any stray ballots may be easily identified and put in the container bag before its removal. In an exemplary embodiment, the raised floor platform comprises a top surface element that is supported by a plurality of posts. The top surface element is preferably configured to follow the contour of the voting machine so that it is essentially flush with the inner surface of the machine. The contoured design of the top surface element further assures that the platform is consistently positioned at the same location in each machine of that type. Additionally, a number of alignment marks (which may be holes) are preferably formed at selected locations on the top surface element. These alignment marks will mate with fiducial members formed on the bottom surface of the container bag (e.g., rounded stand-offs as found on luggage or similar containers). In this manner, each container bag will be in registered alignment with the platform and the voting machine such that ballots passing through the scanner will naturally fall into the opened container.

The container bag itself preferably takes the form of a case with an attached (“hinged”) lid, where the lid of the case is opened once the container bag is placed in the voting machine. When a known number of ballots have been collected within the container bag (as determined by tally count being performed), the voting machine is opened to allow access to the container bag. The lid of the case is closed and the container bag is removed from the machine. A “new” (i.e., empty) container bag is then positioned in place within the machine and the ballot collection process continues.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the container bag includes a diverter arrangement for ensuring the directional flow of the paper ballots into a central region of the bag. Embodiments may also include some means for removably attaching the raised lid to an interior wall of the voting machine itself so as to ensure that the container remains in its “open” position. Preferably, the raised floor platform and the container bag include registration fiducials so that each container bag is positioned in the same location on the platform.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may take the form of a secure collection device for paper ballots comprising a removable container bag for positioning within an interior region of a voting machine and a raised floor platform for supporting the removable container bag. The removable container bag comprises a case with an attached lid including means for securely closing the lid against the case when full, with the dimensions of an interior collection area of the case configured to hold a predetermined number of paper ballots. In particular, the removable container bag is located so that cast paper ballots accumulate within its interior collection area. The raised floor platform is disposed under the removable container bag and sized to present the removable container bag at a defined height above a floor surface of the voting machine.

Other and further embodiments and aspects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

