What do we know about AccuPoll?

[bj2110]

They claim to have a "voter-verified audit trail", but I have little knowledge of the company.

[acmejack]

1. Check these links

and here is a good one: http://www.furnitureforthepeople.com/accupoll.htm|accupolltoo>

[bj2110]

2. Thanks. Your 2nd link doesn't seem to be working properly.

What else do we know, other than what's on the public website? Anyone?

[Andy_Stephenson]

3. voter-verified audit trail if it doesn't say

Voter Verified Paper Ballot...it isn't.

[demodonkey]

4. I have SEEN AccuPoll in ACTION... it is WORTH your CHECKING IT OUT

www.AccuPoll.com

AccuPoll seems to have taken notice of the problems with other systems and appears to be trying to address some of them...

1) It has a Voter-Verified paper printer as an integral part of the system. Prints to standard letter-size copy paper (8.5 x 11 inches) using standard Lexmark inkjet ink. It is true as Andy points out that when they call it VVPAT it is not a ballot, but whether it is a "trail" or a "ballot" is really a legal issue and doesn't change what the AccuPoll machine would produce. Meaning their paper COULD be a "ballot" if local/state law said it was one. (That said, when I met with AccuPoll officials, I DID explain why it is so important to still call their paper a "ballot" -- yes Andy I am still your disciple!) ;-)

The paper ballot produced has a barcode that can be optically scanned, or the plain writing can be read visually by humans or OCR. The barcode on the paper ballot produced can also be scanned and played back as an audio track to verify a visually impaired voter's paper ballot.

2) It has very good accessibility otherwise... audio track with braille/raised pad for visually impaired voters, sip and puff access for paralyzed voters, multi-language capability, illiterate voter can even vote by picture.

3) No networking except from voting stations to one pollworker station in the same poll/room. NOTHING is networked beyond the polling place -- I specifically asked about this. Results are produced at the precinct level (can be printed and posted) and carried to the county on encrypted CDs as well as paper. There are multiple back-ups of data inside the system.

4) It runs on Linux as its base system... yes, the ballot pages running on top of the Linux etc are proprietary, but rep from the company has told me that they are not adverse to submitting their material for testing / security analysis by independent group, etc. at some future point.

5) The company seems to respect and want to work with the Voting Rights / Reform community as well as with the Disability Community. They seem receptive and open to answering all questions about their system.

6) So far we have found no company ties to Bush/ Fundies, etc. The founders are said to be Canadian.

Am not saying that AccuPoll is the be-all and end-all of voting, but it is worth your time to take a look...

[Wilms]

5. Thanks. 3 questions.

Why the networking within the polling place?

What about ties to Carlyle and Frank Carlucci?

Is the software open?

[demodonkey]

6. Answers...

Why the networking within the polling place?

The individual voter terminals have to talk to the pollworker station to record their totals... am not sure if they can tabulate their own totals or not; the pollworker station apparently tabulates everything for that single polling place.

What about ties to Carlyle and Frank Carlucci?

Unknown, but no one has ever posted anything to indicate such in response to my asking on here.

Is the software open?

Linux base operating system, yes. Individual stuff running on Linux, apparently no, but again their sales rep said they would not be adverse to independent testing (I specifically mentioned someone like Verified Voting when I asked) as long as their ballot designs etc. are always protected from somebody else selling them.

[Wilms]

8. Hey, I got that wrong.

Frank Carlucci is associated with Populex, not Accupoll.

In this DU Post, by Bev Harris, she states,

"AccuPoll: Said to be open source, touch screens with a paper trial. James Baker is a director of an organization with ties to them, but not direct ties. I haven't found anything else on them."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=271817

[cosmicdot]

7. AccuPoll Receives Certification for E-Voting System in Louisiana

the wolves are after the @$37M HAVA funds in Louisiana?

is there a flaw in what they are 'selling'??

AccuPoll Holdings Corp. develops state-of-the-art electronic voting systems for use in elections around the world. Beyond developing the latest in touch screen voting and total election management tools, the company is a pioneer in the use of the voter verified paper audit trail, which allows voters to personally ensure that their vote is recorded accurately.
http://www.accupoll.com/Investor/


AccuPoll, Inc. (OTCBB: ACUP) is the developer of a federally qualified electronic voting system that is confidential, reliable, accurate, secure and auditable. Designed to conform to the strict requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), AccuPoll's voting system maintains and preserves the current voter experience while ensuring that the voter's true intent is accurately recorded.
http://www.accupoll.com/AboutUs/CorporateProfile/

TUSTIN, Calif. April 18, 2005. -- AccuPoll, Inc. (OCTBB: ACUP), a developer of Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting systems, today announced the receipt of state certification for its voting system in the state of Louisiana. The designation marks yet another state where AccuPoll’s electronic voting system featuring a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) is now available. AccuPoll has also been extended an invitation to participate in public demonstrations of certified voting systems across the state April 26-28. ~snip~
http://www.accupoll.com/News/NewsReleases/releases/2005-04-18.html


I'm glad I found your thread. A friend emailed me info re the press release.

I'm wondering what the experts here and outside of DU know about this company.

I don't trust any of them, but who knows.

I, also, have wondered if AccuPoll is included on Rep. Conyers, and others, 'watch list', and notification/mailing/general awareness lists.

I'm guessing here: that they're like an enron ... don't really make anything ... just 'kit' a product from various suppliers; and, resell it??? A link to its partners (companies that actually manufacture/produce products ... even the things they do could be off-shored/outsourced:
http://www.accupoll.com/AboutUs/Partners/

I looked up AccuPoll at sec.gov to peep into SEC filings. I didn't see any DEF14 or annual proxy to stockholders filed since 2002.
http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=accupoll&CIK=&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany

The confirmed names this entity has used:

was once Kiwi Ventures, Ltd; and
Western International Pizza in Nevada, with another address in Salt Lake City, UT.

The given address for AccuPoll Holding Co.
is in Tustin, ORANGE COUNTY, CA

No idea what Kiwi Ventures did unless it was just a group of investors. How one leaps from having "Pizza" in its name to a Holding Company selling DREs is curious.

The Complete AccuPoll Electronic Voting System Includes:


AccuPoll Voting Station (AVS 1000)
http://www.accupoll.com/Products/AVS1000

Each AVS 1000 is a totally-integrated voting unit with a touch screen interface, unique features to assist voters with disabilities and a printer that prints out a Proof of Vote once a ballot is cast. Confusion of voter intent is minimized as overvotes are completely eliminated and undervotes prevented.

Using the AVS 1000, voters simply indicate their selection on the touch screen to make their decision. Once finished, voters can review their selections. Their ballot is stored electronically and, within seconds, a paper Proof of Vote is printed for review in the privacy of the voting booth. Voters then deposit the Proof of Vote into the ballot box before leaving the polling place, just as was done in the past.

Voter Administrative Workstation (VAW 1000)
http://www.accupoll.com/Products/VAW
The VAW 1000 is the polling place administration tool that monitors all of the voting units at the polling location and performs standard utility functions such as initializing GoVote Keys, opening and closing the polls, and creating audit logs of polling place activities.

Election Management System (EMS)
http://www.accupoll.com/Products/EMS
End-to-end management of the election process is handled by the AccuPoll Election Management system. Before Election Day, the EMS allows for easy creation of ballots. Following the close of polls, the Central Count Server (CCS) provides quick collection of ballots and filing of election results and additional functionality such as provisional and absentee ballot management, write-in candidate validation and complete election reporting.

http://www.accupoll.com/Products/

VVPAT
As with most interactive computer-oriented transactions, such as ATM or cash registers, paper printouts are a common tool to verify that the transaction was accurately recorded. Additionally, these provide a way to audit the computer in the case of malfunction.

The same thing applies to voting: voters should have the opportunity to verify that their vote is accurately recorded with a paper audit system in place to provide a backup should a recount be required.

Since our inception, AccuPoll has championed the concept of a voter verified paper audit trail, or VVPAT. AccuPoll's VVPAT, called a Proof of Vote, is printed immediately after an electronic ballot is cast and provides an opportunity for voters to verify that their vote is accurately recorded.
~snip~
http://www.accupoll.com/TheAccuPollAdvantage/VVPAT/

[LatePeriduct]

9. I don't think its the same.

Not the same as a verified paper ballot.