RE: RFPET Recommendation

["Some Guy" <someguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'd like to address the spreadsheet idea of Neal's:

Every time that a report was requested Hart called it *custom* and charged
out the wazoo for it. In 04 they took a copy of the database of voted
ballots back to Louisville and returned the next day with a *custom* report.
This made my hair stand on end, because they wandered off with the data of
the cast ballots and then putzed around (with witnesses) when they came
back. They could have overwritten the data for all the clerk or her staff
knew.

The data is contained in unencrypted tables. During an ERC session I
suggested that we could do an SQL query from a separate host and derive all
the info that we needed without paying for *custom* reports or buying
special report writing software from Hart. The Hart team looked ill. We were
told that Hart wouldn't allow that. We own the equipment and software
licenses, we don't need their permission or assistance.

Ballot Now has no reporting features other than what BoCo paid for. There is
no way to dump to any formats from these hosts. The system prevents it by
simply not having such a function.
However, since the tables contain ANSI text and symbols, we can just query
them. We'd need to query them from a non-Hart host or risk un-warrantied
systems problems.

The eSlate system uses a proprietary OS. I have no clue if the MBB is dumped
into the same servers as Ballot Now or if these are disparate systems. if
the same as Ballot Now then we can simply proceed with our own reports.

One issue that the eSlate VVPAT has is that the ballots are printed off a
roll. We've seen this before. They are curled. That's what makes audits
cumbersome.
Has anyone seen these printers in action? Are they thermal printers? If so
then the zinc oxide paper will degrade in short order.

Some Guy