Sequoia Voting Systems Successfully Passes Federal Testing of VeriVote Printer Upgrade for Touch Screen Voting System

WASHINGTON(BUSINESS WIRE)July 16, 2004

 
State of Nevada to Utilize Sequoia Voter Verifiable Paper Record Printers Throughout the State in 2004 Primary and General Elections 
 

Sequoia Voting Systems today announced it has successfully passed federal testing of the VeriVote(R) printer upgrade to the company's popular AVC Edge touch screen voting system. The printer, which allows voters to view a paper copy of their electronic ballot before leaving the polling place, will be used throughout the State of Nevada for their September 7, 2004 Primary Election and the November 2, 2004 Presidential General Election.

"We commend the State of Nevada for taking the national lead in the implementation of electronic voting with voter verifiable paper records," said Sequoia President Tracey Graham. "Changing voting systems is difficult work under the best of circumstances, but using a new technology under tight timelines with the whole world watching a presidential election race is a daunting task for state and local officials. We appreciate the confidence that the state has placed in Sequoia and we appreciate the professional and dedicated county election officials who are working around the clock to make this project succeed for the voters of Nevada.

"Sequoia's VeriVote(R) printer is designed to provide election officials with an easy way to enhance voter confidence in the integrity of elections while ensuring full accessibility for voters with special needs.

"Our customers routinely praise our system's ease of use for voters, poll workers and election officials," said Graham. "Voting on Sequoia touch screens will remain as easy as ever, but with this additional feature, voters will have the added convenience of viewing a paper record of their ions before they leave the polls."

The printer is mounted beside the touch screen and displays the voter's ions behind glass so that neither voters nor poll workers are able to physically handle, remove or alter the paper record. After voters confirm that the ions on the paper are correct, they will be prompted to officially cast their ballot via the touch screen. After the ballot is cast, the paper record is scrolled inside the unit to maintain a voter-verified paper audit trail.

The additional paper audit trail will supplement existing features such as the system's redundantly stored electronic ballot images and unalterable electronic audit logs to provide multiple methods of verifying the accuracy of an election.

The new feature is optional and is not mandatory for secure and accurate electronic ballots. The enhanced printer option can be added to existing and new Sequoia AVC Edge touch screen voting units. The optional VeriVote(R) printers can be incorporated at the time of purchase or can be added at a later date if the needs of state or local election officials change.

Electronic voting systems are closely regulated by federal and state officials. Both the hardware and software of electronic voting systems must be tested against more than 500 pages of standards and requirements by federally sanctioned independent testing authorities.

Sequoia's touch screen voting units were first used on a countywide basis for the historic 2000 presidential elections conducted by Riverside County, California. The Sequoia Edge touch screens are used across the country in locations such as Palm Beach County, Florida, Washington, D.C., and Santa Clara County, California.

Sequoia Voting Systems provides election services in more than thirty-five states and has more than 50,000 electronic voting machines deployed across the nation. Sequoia has been providing election services for more than a century and electronic voting machines for 25 years. The touch screen version of Sequoia's electronic voting equipment has been available since 1999.

Sequoia is based in Oakland, California with offices in Colorado, Florida and New York. Sequoia has led the election services industry by providing direct recording electronic voting systems for the last twenty-five years. Sequoia is a subsidiary of De La Rue, PLC, a global leader in providing tamperproof government documents and secure cash handling and processing technologies.