Weighing in at only five pounds, it’s small and unassuming, yet mighty and powerful.
Loudon County and Sevier County, Tennessee, provide the ExpressVote® Printer to automatically select the ballot style, ExpressVote Universal Voting System for voters to make selections, and the DS200® precinct scanner and tabulator for casting ballots.
The ExpressVote Printer is the little printer that makes an election worker’s day considerably easier.
“The poll workers love it,” said Susan Harrison, Administrator of Elections for Loudon County, Tennessee, “It was quick and easy to learn. We like how confident we are knowing that we are giving the voter the correct ballot. Since it’s connected to accurate voter registration info, then the voter will get the proper ballot. It’s 100% more efficient because you don’t have the chance of error.”
The benefits of the ExpressVote Printer are abundant. Early voting accounts for 70% of the votes cast in Loudon County. “It is so helpful to use the ExpressVote Printer during early voting because there are so many different precincts and ballot styles to deal with,” said Harrison. “Sometimes we have more than 50 ballot styles. Using the ExpressVote Printer really simplifies the process for the voters and poll workers.”
Just 60 miles down the road, poll workers in Sevier County agree.
“Our poll workers love how accurate the new system is and they all love the fact that they do not have to worry about which ballot to select on the ExpressVote screen, because the printer already identified the correct ballot style,” said Ed Kuncitis, Administrator of Elections for Sevier County, Tennessee.
It’s the little printer that delights voters.
“Voters like it. They are pleased with it. They like knowing they have the correct ballot and it makes them feel more confident.”
– Susan Harrison, Administrator of Elections
Sevier County voters shared similar sentiments.
“We have received many comments from voters about the ease of use of our new equipment,” Kuncitis said. “Using the ExpressVote Printer in conjunction with the ExpressVote Universal Voting System allows our voters to mark their ballot using the touch-screen technology they are used to and also provides a paper trail that increases voter confidence. The ExpressVote displays every race individually, so voters don’t miss any races on the ballot. They like to know they didn’t miss anything.”
It’s the little printer that’s fast.
The voter line moves fast because the printer automatically prints the correct ballot style faster than a traditional Ballot on Demand printer. The ExpressVote Printer takes zero second to warm up and less than five seconds to print a card, compared to the 15-20 seconds required to warm up and 15-20 seconds to print using a traditional oval ballot.
The ExpressVote Printer also eliminates the need for the poll worker to make the trek to activate the vote session with the proper ballot style on the voting machine.
“Before, you had to take the time to enter ballot style code into the machine itself. But this printer automates that and gets the voters in and out quicker. It saves several minutes per voter.”
– Susan Harrison, Administrator of Elections
It’s the little printer that’s safer.
COVID-19 has forever impacted our sacred, personal bubble that is now sanitized and six-feet in diameter. Social distance is maintained when using the ExpressVote Printer. When jurisdictions have more than one ballot style, the ExpressVote Printer removes the need for a poll worker to be in proximity to the voter to manually select the correct ballot style on the ExpressVote screen.
“The system allows us to give the voter an activation card and have the voter insert it into the ExpressVote with minimal involvement from the poll worker.”
– Ed Kuncitis, Administrator of Elections
It’s also the little printer that’s good for the environment and the county budget.
The ExpressVote Printer reduces waste by printing a voter activation code on blank card stock. Because it’s a thermal printer, it also eliminates the need for toner as there is no need to change out ink or drums during the day.
“The ability to use blank stock, means that we are able to use unused stock for other elections and only have to order additional card stock, if needed.”
– Ed Kuncitis, Administrator of Elections
The little printer that could is the hero in this story because it’s the little printer that made all the difference.