Central Scanning
Last updated
Last updated
VxCentralScan is a central scanning solution that allows you to quickly scan large batches of ballots. If you are using VxScan at your precincts, then you'll use VxCentralScan to scan absentee and affidavit ballots. If you are not using VxScan at your precincts, then you'll use VxCentralScan to scan all ballots.
Follow the VxCentral Scan Hardware Setup instructions to prepare the system for use.
Before scanning the first ballot batch, confirm that VxCentralScan displays No ballots have been scanned. If not, go to the Admin menu and select Delete Ballot Data to clear the scanner.
Load a stack of ballots into the feeder tray of the scanner. VotingWorks recommends loading no more than 50 ballot sheets at time. The ballots need to be in a neat stack, unfolded and lying flat, but ballots can be in any orientation (e.g. upside down or backwards is fine).
Select Scan New Batch. Ballots feed through the scanner automatically and the number of ballots scanned will increase as each ballot is scanned under Ballot Count. A timestamp will appear under the Finished At header when a batch is done scanning.
Once the batch finishes scanning, remove it from the output tray on the scanner and place the next stack of ballots in the feeder tray. Repeat the scanning process until all ballots are scanned.
Note: If a batch needs to be rescanned, use the Delete button to remove the original scan.
VxCentralScan will stop scanning and present a review screen if scanning cannot be completed due to a blank sheet, overvoted contest, scan mode mismatch, or an otherwise unreadable ballot sheet. The review screen will display an image of the scanned ballot sheet, the reason why scanning was stopped, and confirm that this ballot sheet has not been tabulated yet.
If scanning an original voter-marked ballot, remove the last ballot sheet scanned from the scanner output tray and confirm it matches the ballot sheet displayed onscreen. Once removed, select Remove to Adjudicate and confirm that the Ballot has been removed. Once confirmed, the scanner will resume scanning ballots in the batch.
The example below shows an Overvote detected that is being removed for Resolution Board processing.
The removed ballot should be duplicated and prepared for the Resolution Board. Using a red pen, mark the removed ballot as Original and the duplicated ballot as Duplicate with both ballots numbered consecutively. For example, the first ballot removed should be marked as Original #1 and the ballot used for duplication as Duplicate #1. Place both the original and duplicate ballots in an envelope to provide to the Resolution Board.
The Resolution Board will examine the original ballot and mark the duplicate ballot in a manner consistent with the voter’s intent and applicable laws. When all original ballot batches have been scanned, a final batch containing all the duplicated ballots may be scanned to reincorporate these ballots into the tally.
If scanning a duplicated ballot prepared by the Resolution Board, first confirm that the reason presented on screen is valid and that the duplicated ballot should be tabulated as such. VotingWorks recommends scanning all duplicated ballots as the last batch on election night.
To tabulate the duplicated ballot, select Tabulate As Is and then Yes, tabulate ballot as is. The duplicated ballot will be recorded with the condition shown on screen and the scanner will continue scanning the remaining ballots in the batch.
The example below shows a Blank Ballot duplicated by the Resolution Board that is being tabulated as a blank ballot.
VxCentralScan may show an Unreadable ballot screen for a properly marked ballot if it's unable to decode ballot information due to page skew, dust, or tampering of the ballot. When a ballot sheet is shown as unreadable, you can safely remove the ballot and re-scan the ballot sheet. If the ballot is unreadable on a second scan, you should remove the ballot and prepare a duplicate ballot for the Resolution Board to review.
A mode mismatch error will appear if the scanner mode (Test or Official) does not match the ballot type (Test or Official) and the scanned sheet will not be tabulated. In these cases, you should either remove the ballot from the stack or switch scanner modes.
The example below shows a Live ballot that was scanned in Test mode.
When all ballot batches (including any duplicated ballots) have been scanned, you will need to save the CVRs from VxCentralScan to load into VxAdmin for tabulation.
To save, select Save CVRs in the top right.
You'll be prompted to insert a USB drive. Once recognized, select Save and then Eject USB.
You don't need to worry about filenames. The save process takes care of that.
Once you've selected Eject USB, you'll see a prompt to Close and may remove the USB drive.
If using multiple VxCentralScan stations, repeat for each one.
After saving the CVR, VotingWorks recommends also taking a backup of all data from the VxCentralScan station. To save a backup, navigate to the Admin menu and select Save Backup. Then navigate to the USB drive in the file dialog and save the backup .zip file. The file may take up to a few minutes to save.
Once saved, select Eject USB and remove the USB drive from VxCentralScan.
