Assisting Voters
Casting Ballots
VxScan is ready to accept a new ballot whenever it displays Insert Your Ballot Below.
A voter can then push their ballot onto the tray and into the scanner. When a ballot is properly inserted, the scanner will grip the ballot. If a ballot is inserted at an angle, the scanner may push the ballot back into the voter's hands without scanning, the voter should simply re-insert their ballot. VxScan will then scan the ballot by pulling it in and show the following screen.
If the ballot has no errors, the ballot will go into the ballot box and the screen will show that the ballot has been counted.
After a few seconds, VxScan will return to the Insert Your Ballot Below screen in preparation for the next voter.
If the ballot was not counted because of an issue, the scanner will push the ballot back toward the voter but maintain a grip on it. There could be any of the following issues with the ballot.
Overvoted Ballots
The scanner recognized more than the allowed number of votes for a particular race. For example, a voter marked two candidates in a race where they must make a single choice. The voter may have not noticed they made two marks for a single race. More commonly, the voter may have made accidental marks on another bubble. VxScan will warn the voter and indicate which races have too many votes.
If the voter would like to correct their error, they should select Return Ballot and VxScan will return the ballot to the voter. Depending on the applicable laws and regulations, they may void or spoil the problematic ballot and mark their votes on a new ballot.
The voter could also choose to cast their overvoted ballot despite errors. When they do this, their votes are counted in contests for which their ballot has no errors and their votes are not counted in contests for which their ballot has errors. For example, if a ballot has too many votes for mayor but is otherwise acceptable, none of the votes for mayor will be counted but the rest of the ballot will be counted normally. The voter should select Cast Ballot As Is and then confirm by selecting Yes, Cast Ballot As Is.
After a ballot is cast and VxScan is done processing it, the screen will return to the Insert Your Ballot Below screen and VxScan is ready to accept another ballot.
Undervoted Ballots
The scanner recognized less than the allowed number of votes for a particular race. The voter may have intentionally skipped a race or not. While a voter does not have to vote in each contest, VxScan will warn the voter and indicate which races do not have votes.
If the voter would like to count the ballot as is, they should select Cast Ballot As Is and then confirm by selecting Yes, Cast Ballot As Is. If the voter would like to vote in the contests they skipped, they should select Return Ballot and VxScan will return the ballot to the voter.
Blank Ballots
The scanner did not recognize any choices marked in the bubbles of the ballot. The voter may have circled or underlined the names of their choices instead of filling in the bubbles. Also, the voter may have used a writing utensil whose marks are ignored by the scanner, like a red-ink pen. VxScan will warn the voter that their ballot appears blank.
If the voter would like to correct their error, they should select Return Ballot and VxScan will return the ballot to the voter. If the voter would like to count the ballot as is, they should select Cast Ballot As Is and then confirm by selecting Yes, Cast Ballot As Is. No votes will count on a blank ballot.
Using VxMark
Activating a Ballot Style
If a voter chooses to use the VxMark, you'll need to use your Poll Worker Card to select their ballot. Insert the Poll Worker Card as instructed on the screen.
Then select the ballot style under the Choose Ballot Style heading.
Select the desired ballot style, and the screen changes to indicate that the VxMark has been activated with that ballot style.
Remove the Poll Worker Card and let the voter know they can begin voting by selecting Start Voting.
Note: If the wrong ballot style was selected or the voter changed their mind, insert a Poll Worker card and select Deactivate Voter Session.
Voting Instructions
The voter will be presented with one contest at a time. They will make a selection by selecting the candidate of their choice.
The voter moves to the next contest by selecting Next.The voter can skip a contest by selecting Next without making a selection. To return to a previous contest, they should select Back.
After working through all contests, a Review Your Votes screen appears that allows the voter to change any vote by selecting Change.
When done reviewing, the voter selects I'm Ready to Print My Ballot. The ballot should begin printing. Once it's done printing, the screen will display instructions for the voter to verify and scan their ballot.
The voter may select the Done button if they wish, but it's not required. The screen will automatically refresh to the starting point after a few seconds.
The voter should take their printed ballot and review it one final time (as able). They should then be directed to VxScan to scan their ballot.
Last updated
