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For those who didn't see this
before.
This message is the Central Count method of informing the user of an
uncalibrated scan. Remember that the AccuVote in feeder mode can't reject
the ballot to the reader input so it has to move it to the outstack and inform
the user.
If the card reader can't complete a
calibration on the leading edge of the ballot, then the reader sends 0's on it's
SCANDATA signal to the AccuVote. The AccuVote gets no timing marks and
sees this ballot as a blank paper. If you recall, the older PC 1.94o ROMs
dropped ballots when this condition occurred. Firmware levels PC 1.94p and
up reject that ballot back to the voter. (I don't know the error message
that is displayed). All that needed to be done was to refeed the ballot
with a clean edge, and "Bob's your Uncle". Perhaps the same is for the
Central Count.
FYI:
White level calibration requires all
68 channels to see a white level that is at least 4 times the black level in 8
out of the first 30 samples. For example, a black count of
5, times 4 equals a minimum 40 count that the white level must
exceed. Each channel doesn't have to see those 30 samples all at the
same time, they just have to be the first 30 samples per channel.
Uncalibrated scans can happen for a
few reasons. The leading edge being fed can be dirty or smudged, the
ballot may be printed on colored paper stock that is out of spec, a corner
may be torn out of the ballot, etc. Pretty much anything that doesn't
allow the first quarter inch of the ballot to appear white to the
channels.
This is probably way more than you
wanted to know, but maybe it'll help.
Ian
Once in a while the central count unit will stop the the
message "blank ballot feed", but the last ballot is a standard voted
ballot. We've been recounting it, but it is a strange message
given the ballot condition.
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