Voting method and system

• US 20020074399A1
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Hall, James, Swartz, Jerome
• Granted Patent: US 6,540,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/386
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus

Abstract

A voting system wherein a voter identification card is provided to a voter having an optical code including voter identification information. The optical code on the voter identification card of a voter is read at a polling station prior to permitting said voter to vote and a digital signature is received from the voter. A handheld wireless data acquisition device is provided to the voter for making voting selections and a receipt with the voting selections made by said voter is printed. The voting selections are wirelessly transmitted from the handheld wireless data acquisition device to a host computer for tallying the voting selections from a plurality of voters.

Claims

1. A method for voting comprising the steps of:

providing a voter identification card to a voter having an optical code including voter identification information;

reading the optical code on the voter identification card of a voter at a polling station prior to permitting said voter to vote;

receiving a digital signature from the voter;

providing a handheld wireless data acquisition device to the voter for making voting selections;

printing a receipt with the voting selections made by said voter; and

wirelessly transmitting the voting selections from the handheld wireless data acquisition device to a host computer for tallying the voting selections from a plurality of voters.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical code is a two-dimensional bar code.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional bar code is PDF-417.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the voter identification card is a motor vehicle license.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of wirelessly transmitting comprises transmitting using the IRDA protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of wirelessly transmitting comprises transmitting using the Blue Tooth protocol.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of wirelessly transmitting comprises transmitting using an rf protocol.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of wirelessly transmitting comprises transmitting using the Spectrum 24 protocol.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless data acquisition device has a touch screen data input for making voting selections.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless data acquisition device has an optical code reader for reading the optical code on the voter identification card and the step of reading comprises using the handheld wireless data acquisition device.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless data acquisition device has an input for receiving the electronic signature and the step of receiving comprises using the handheld wireless data acquisition device.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the handheld wireless data acquisition device transmits the voter identification information to the host computer to obtain approval of the voter to vote.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the handheld wireless data acquisition device transmits the electronic signature to the host computer to obtain approval of the voter to vote.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receipt is printed as a PDF417 symbol.