Electronic Voting System

The Electronic Voting System (EVS) allows electronic voting to be implemented for multiple applications. Using wireless touch panel displays, the EVS is ideal for large conferences and/or organizations.

The EVS supports both conference voting, using wireless touch panel displays as well as voting via email and a web based interface for distributed or geographically separated groups.

For conference voting, the system can support up to several hundred voting stations operating in a typical conference hall. Concurrent voting is supported in multiple voting zones, where each voting zone is typically allocated to a specific conference hall.

Full support is provided for internationalization and the system can be configured in multiple languages. Votes can be conducted in multiple languages concurrently.

The EVS supports multiple vote types including:

• Simple vote (yes, no, abstain)
• Multiple Choice Vote (select n options from a list)
• Multiple Choice in order of priority (select n options in a specific order)

Vote groups are supported where several questions can be grouped on a single ballot.  
Votes can be secret vs. non-secret. In a secret vote, the display of results is only displayed in an aggregated form with individual responses hidden.

Equal or variable weight of votes is supported

• The majority required can be specified (for example simple majority or a specific fraction such as 2/3)
• Multiple display panels can be configured for displaying vote progress and results
• Integration with external systems such as conference registration system or external voter databases is supported
• Web based administration interface of conduct of voting and vote administration
• A wide variety of voting stations can be supported

Voting Station Displays

Technical specifications:

Vote Acquisition Server

• Windows 2003/2008 server
• 4 Gb minimum memory recommended
• Dual Network Interface Cards recommended
• SQL Server 2005 Database
• Internet Information Server 6.0 or higher
• Internet Authentication Server

Voting Station

• Most Windows CE (4.0 or higher) or Windows XP/Vista based computers are supported.
  
  

Security

In a wireless conference environment, the EVS utilizes commercial Wi-Fi technology for voting station authentication. Conference voting is typically configured on a dedicated local wireless LAN. User authentication is via a RADIUS server using 802.1X and EAP. The system is compatible with all commonly available networking infrastructures and is able to utilize the authentication schemes implemented by most network equipment manufacturers. All communication between the voting stations and the Vote Acquisition server is encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer protocol. Voter is typically configured using a PIN number scheme but other mechanisms such as smart cards or digital certificates can be supported.