Accu-Vote Release 1.94f>

[Guy Lancaster <glanca@dieboldes.com>]

  For those romantics that fell in love with 1.94f, the latest flavor
incorporates all the changes made since 1.94f<.  This includes
the changes in 1.94q, r, s, t*, and u.  Pass your orders on to McKinney.

             Guy

* Note: The PC 1.94t release was preempted by 1.94u.

file:///C|/prj/av/gpc194fgt.htm
--
Guy Lancaster <glanca@dieboldes.com>
Global Election Systems Inc., Victoria, B.C., Canada
Phone: (250)995-8627
 

Title: Accu-Vote Release 1.94f>

RELEASE NOTES
Accu-Vote 2000 - Release 1.94f>
Revised January 27, 1999

Purpose

To support multiple uploads per modem connection and to fix Accu-Vote lockup and other problems.

Compatibility

The 1.94f> release of the Accu-Vote firmware is based on the 1.94f< release. The precinct count upload protocol remains compatible with all 1.9x VTS versions. The precinct count download protocol and the memory cards are compatible with previous 1.94 releases.

Precinct Counter (PC) Release

• Allow multiple uploads per modem connection. When a modem upload is complete, the Accu-Vote still prompts with                 "RESULTS SENT OK - TURN UNIT OFF" but the modem connection is still up. To upload another memory card, ignore the                 prompt and pull out the memory card. The Accu-Vote will prompt you to "INSERT NEXT CARD". See the attached prompt                 diagram for details.
• The ballot sorting feature when using the feeder (used mostly for write-in ballots) has been disabled. In practice it has proved to reduce throughput too much to be warranted.
• Handle reader failures which occur in the first row or 2 of a ballot scan. Previous releases could appear to lock up or display an ISR message.
• Fix the handling of post-election memory card status values. Previous releases did not update the status beyond value 3 (shown in the audit report) which is for count finished but not uploaded.
• Fix handling of detected errors in Accu-Basic code. Previous releases could go into an infinite loop if the Accu-Basic program on the memory card was corrupted.
• Support absentee option 4 to mean "don't worry about precinct ID's on ballots". This means that if the Accu-Vote can determine a unique set of counters from just the card number, it will use those counters even if the precinct ID does not match. This is used by GEMS to implement absentee precincts that accept ballot cards from any precinct as long as the card number is recognized. The VTS absentee option 2 requires that the precinct ID begin with the digit '9' which could not be supported under GEMS.
• Offer to reprint the election results report if the report wasn't confirmed before turning the Accu-Vote off after the ender card in election mode. Since this report is "required", we require the operator to "confirm" that the report printed successfully by pressing NO to the prompt: "NEED ANOTHER PRINTOUT?". If not confirmed, the operator is prompted with "REPRINT ELECTION RESULTS REPORT?" upon entering the post-election mode. Responding with NO is treated as confirmation that the report has been printed successfully.
• Ballot error message delay can be aborted by pressing the NO button. This is most useful in the unvoted and fully voted ballot tests where you need to press the NO button to exit the test. If the last ballot fed was rejected, previously you had to wait until the message delay timed out before you could exit the test.
• Fixed bug that gave a port error if you responded NO to uploading either by phone or direct communications.
• Fix the problem whereby some units would occasionally reject a ballot and then lock up with the motor running in reverse.
• Fix problem whereby a ballot with a race having only write-in candidates would report "TCAND OVERFLOW".
• For single ballot primary ballots (primary election ballots with races from different parties), if the ballot is cross voted (i.e. races for different parties are voted), the Accu-Vote will no longer check for blank voted partisan races.
• If every race on a ballot is overvoted, the Accu-Vote will no longer reject the ballot as being unmarked.
• Memory cards will no longer be marked as corrupted.  The memory card's data is checked on insertion and before each ballot is scanned and once a problem is detected, functionality will be restricted until the data again checks out correctly.  Since most reports of memory card corruption are due to poor connection (dirty contacts or foreign material blocking the contacts), the memory cards were being incorrectly marked as corrupt.
• If an upload is interrupted before a connection is established, the Accu-Vote will no longer report that the upload was successful.

Versions

(AE PC Rel 1.94f>) Precinct Counter American English Release 1.94f> with checksums A:97AF and B:06C1 dated 99-1-27.

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