Electronic/Paper-Ballot Hybrid Provides Unique Approach to Meet New Federal
                                 Requirements

    CHICAGO, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ The federal Election Assistance
Commission (EAC) and National Association of State Election Directors (NASED)
have approved a new, innovative voting machine that is the first electronic
system to meet new federal standards by combining the advantages, flexibility
and simplicity of computer-based touch screen voting with the assurances
provided by a tangible paper ballot.  By using the best of both approaches,
the Populex system is designed to restore voter confidence that their votes
will be counted accurately.
    The Populex voting system is one of the first to be certified under the
new, more stringent 2002 federal voting system standards, which many states
will require for state certification.  Systems used in the 2004 elections were
certified to the 1990 standards that permit a host of problems that are still
coming to light. Many companies are jury-rigging these older systems in an
attempt to compensate for their shortcomings. In contrast, the Populex voting
system was designed from the start with the new regulations, customer demands
and people with disabilities in mind.
    "We are excited to have a voting solution that is affordable, practical
and gives voters full confidence that their votes will be counted and, if
necessary, re-counted correctly," said Sanford Morganstein, president of
Populex.  "Comparing the Populex voting system to the machines used in the
2004 election is like comparing a Lexus to an Edsel."
    Unlike most other touch screen systems that risk losing votes, the Populex
system doesn't collect and store votes electronically in the voting computer.
    Instead, Populex prints an official ballot, equipped with a bar code that
is scanned to reliably record and count the votes. This paper ballot is the
official ballot that's counted on Election Day and also the audit trail needed
for recounts. Additionally, Populex's technology helps prevent voters from
making errors and provides several opportunities for them to verify their
ions.
    "If the Populex voting system was used during the 2004 election in Florida
and Ohio, the resulting conspiracy theories would not exist," said
Morganstein.  "After voting on the Populex system, each voter can leave the
polls with the confidence that his or her votes have been accurately recorded
and will be accurately counted."
    Populex Corporation's advisory board includes both Democrats and
Republicans including Tony Coelho, former Democratic Congressman and author
of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Frank Carlucci, former
Secretary of Defense and Advisor to the President for National Security
Affairs during the Reagan Administration.  This bi-partisan participation
helps ensure that Populex focuses on protecting and increasing confidence in
the democratic process without favoring or even being perceived as favoring
one political party over another.
    "Counting votes accurately is neither a Democratic nor a Republican ideal,
it's an American ideal," said Coelho.  "Frank and I are involved with Populex
because we believe it provides the best option across the country to bring
confidence back to our voting process."
    Carlucci added, "I have found that once people see this machine, they
scratch their heads and wonder three things: 'What took so long?'; 'Why didn't
I think of this?'; and 'When can I get it?'."
    Now, with federal approval, Populex will be marketing its innovative
system to the election officials and voters who are eagerly awaiting a system
that provides both the benefits of touch screen voting with the confidence of
an official paper ballot.
    Sanford Morganstein, president of Populex, is the man who brought us the
automated attendant, "press 1 for ... " phone technology, and now he's created
the Populex voting system, which eliminates the problems associated with the
touch screen, punch card and optical scan voting systems of the past, and
directly addresses the ongoing controversy about the reliability, accuracy and
security of touch screen voting systems.

    About Populex
    Populex Corporation provides a touch screen voting system that prints an
official voter-verified paper ballot.  This official paper ballot can be
privately verified by all voters, including the blind and visually impaired,
in the language in which they voted.  It also has features which prevent
counterfeiting or accidentally counting the same ballot more than once.  Using
bar code technology, the ballots can be counted at high speed with
unparalleled accuracy.  They can also be recounted both mechanically and
manually, if necessary.  Because the Populex "Digital Paper Ballot(TM)" is the
official record of each voter's choices, if a voting machine goes down, votes
are not lost, providing voters with the confidence their votes will be
counted.  In addition, both the Populex system and its Digital Paper Ballots
are easy for election officials to handle and store.  The Populex system
complies with the 2002 Help America Vote Act and the latest (2002) federal
voting system standards.