Photos: E-voting gets touchy

The Automark VAT, seen here in production, is a hybrid of several devices: scanner, printer, touch screen display and input device. The data for a given poll, such as a candidate's name, is stored on a compact flash card, a storage technology used in digital cameras. Officials can customize the data--for example, they can give phonetic pronunciation of names for use in a synthesized speech feature.

The almost-finished machine. In use, voters can carry out the voting process using the touch screen, a "puff-sip" device, or by following audio prompts along with a keypad. AutoMark says the system should be in use by more than 30,000 precincts by November's elections, and sales will exceed $100 million this year.

Another new maker of e-voting systems is Avante International Technology, which produces a range of systems under the Vote-Trakker brand. Shown here is the Vote-Trakker EVC308-SPR-FF, a full-face system with a 30-inch touch screen that will display candidate names in at least 14-point font, as laid out by Federal Election Commission requirements. It also has a pop-up screen.

Avante's system in use for early voting in the general election in Sacramento County, Calif., over 11 days in 2002. The touch-screen device is intended to aid people with impairments that may prevent them from casting a ballot otherwise.

The Vote-Trakker prints out a paper record of the ballot image once the individual has completed their choices. The record can act as a verification that the vote has been tallied, Avante says.