Abstract:
A vote-by-mail return envelope that includes a pouch portion for containing the ballot and a stub portion on which the voter applies his/her signature and method for processing are provided. Each portion of the envelope contains a respective barcode that identifies the respective portion. When the envelope is received at the vote-counting location, the stub is separated from the pouch, thereby separating the voter&#39;s signature, name, etc. from the ballot. The signature is then verified from the stub, and subsequent processing of the pouch uses the pouch barcode identifier as a link to the stub barcode identifier and/or to the result of the signature verification, to determine whether the ballot in the pouch is eligible for counting or whether some remedial procedure is necessary.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention disclosed herein relates generally to vote by mail systems, and more particularly to an envelope that protects the integrity of ballots sent through the mail during the signature verification process. 
   BACKGROUND 
   In democratic countries, governmental officials are chosen by the citizens in an election. Conducting an election and voting for candidates for public office in the United States can be performed in several different ways. One such way utilizes mechanical voting machines at predetermined polling places. When potential voters enter the predetermined polling place, voting personnel verify that each voter is properly registered in that voting district and that they have not already voted in that election. Thus, for a voter to cast his vote, he must go to the polling place at which he is registered, based on the voter&#39;s residence. Another method for conducting an election and voting utilizes paper ballots that are mailed to the voter who marks the ballot and returns the ballot through the mail. Mailed ballots have been historically reserved for absentee voting. In the usual absentee voting process, the voter marks the ballot to cast his/her vote and then inserts the ballot in a return envelope which is typically pre-addressed to the voter registrar office in the corresponding county, town or locality in which the voter is registered. The voter typically appends his/her signature on the back of the envelope adjacent his/her human or machine readable identification. 
   When the return envelope is received at the registrar&#39;s office, a voting official compares the voter signature on the envelope with the voter signature retrieved from the registration file to make a determination as to whether or not the identification information and signature are authentic and valid, and therefore the vote included in the envelope should be counted. If the identification and signature are deemed to be authentic and valid, the identifying information and signature are separated from the sealed ballot before it is handed to the ballot counter for tabulation. In this manner, the privacy of the voter&#39;s selections is maintained and thus the ballot remains a “secret ballot”. 
   One general problem with vote by mail envelopes is the signature is in the open and exposed for all to see throughout the process for determining whether or not the vote is authentic. This leads to potential privacy issues and concerns, e.g., fraudulent usage of a voter&#39;s signature. Some jurisdictions have required that such signatures be hidden from plain sight while the envelope is en route from the voter to the registrar&#39;s office. This will protect against easy imaging of the signature, such as, for example, with a hand scanner or digital camera, for later impersonation or other fraudulent purposes, e.g., identity theft. To comply with such requirements, envelopes have been proposed that hide the signature with a flap which is removed when the envelope is received at the registrar&#39;s office. These solutions, however, require some mechanical manipulation of the envelopes, which is both expensive and increases the risk of accidental tears of the envelope, potentially leading to damage to the ballots contained in the envelopes, exposing the marked ballot before the conclusion of the authentication process (which in some states require the ballot to be counted, regardless of the outcome of the authentication process), or the ability to link the voter with his/her ballot, thereby removing the secrecy of the ballot. 
   Voting by mail is becoming more prevalent, apart from the usual absentee voting, and in some jurisdictions, entire elections are being conducted exclusively by mail. As the voting by mail becomes more prevalent, the privacy concerns are also more prevalent. Thus, there exists a need for efficient methods and systems that can protect the privacy of signatures on ballots sent through the mail while also reducing the risk of damage to the ballots when the signatures are revealed. 
   SUMMARY 
   According to an aspect of the invention, a method of processing a vote-by-mail return envelope that includes a pouch portion for containing the ballot and a stub portion on which the voter applies his/her signature is provided. Each portion contains a respective barcode that identifies the respective portion or is provided with a respective barcode to identify the respective portion. The barcode on each portion may be identical, thus linking the two portions together, or alternatively the two barcodes on each envelope may be different and associated with each by some predetermined relationship, e.g., in a database, by a key, or the like, thereby linking the two portions together. The stub is then separated from the pouch, thereby separating the voter&#39;s signature, name, etc. from the ballot. The signature can then verified from the stub to determine whether the ballot in the pouch is eligible for counting or whether some remedial procedure is necessary. Since the signature stub has been removed from the pouch containing the ballot, the signature verification procedure can be performed using any suitable method, without requiring any special care to protect the ballot. The ballot contained in the pouch linked to the verified signature stub can then be identified based on the barcode identifiers, such that the ballot can be processed based on the result of the signature verification. After the pouch containing the ballot of a verified signature is properly sorted (to be tallied) and if no remedial procedure is needed, then any stored relationship between the pouch and stub barcode identifiers may be erased, thereby preserving anonymity of the ballot. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, a vote-by-mail envelope includes a pouch for receiving a ballot. The envelope further includes a stub that is offset from the pouch and includes a signature space for a voter&#39;s signature. The stub may be offset laterally or downwardly from the pouch. In addition, the envelope includes a flap for closing the pouch and covering the voter&#39;s signature. The flap includes a pouch-side region for overlying the pouch and a stub-side region for overlying the stub. The envelope also includes a first barcode printed on the flap and located on the pouch-side region of the flap, and a second barcode printed on the flap and located on the stub-side region of the flap. 
   Therefore, it should now be apparent that the invention substantially achieves all the above aspects and advantages. Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Various features and embodiments are further described in the following figures, description and claims. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. As shown throughout the drawings, like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts. 
       FIG. 1  schematically shows a rear view of a vote-by-mail return envelope provided according to an aspect of the present invention, with a ballot being inserted into a pouch that is part of the return envelope. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic rear view of the vote-by-mail return envelope of  FIG. 1 , showing the condition of the envelope when it is sealed for mailing, and also showing in phantom certain internal features of the sealed envelope. 
       FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  of another embodiment of a vote-by-mail return envelope. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart that illustrates a process provided according to an aspect of the invention for processing a vote-by-mail return envelope after the envelope is received by the voting registrar from the voter. 
       FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 2 , schematically illustrating a technique for detaching identifying information from the ballot contained within the return envelope. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are schematic isometric views that illustrate a technique for uncovering a voter&#39;s signature contained within an envelope stub shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  are schematic isometric views that illustrate a technique for making visible a voter&#39;s signature contained within an envelope stub shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  schematically shows a rear view of a vote-by-mail return envelope  100  provided according to an aspect of the present invention, with a ballot  102  being inserted into a pouch  104  that is part of the return envelope  100 . As is often the case with an envelope pouch, the pouch  104  of the envelope  100  is formed from a front sheet  106  (of which, in some embodiments, only a small part of its rear side is visible) of the envelope  100  and a rear sheet  108  of the envelope  100 . However, the envelope  100  differs from a conventional envelope in part by having an extension portion or stub  110  that extends laterally beyond an end side boundary (indicated approximately by dashed line  112 ) of the pouch  104 . As will be discussed further below, the rear surface of the extension portion  110  carries a signature space  114  to be signed by the voter. The end side boundary  112  of the pouch  104  is defined by an adhesion region (indicated approximately at  118 ) at which the front sheet  106  is adhered to the rear sheet  108 . As seen from  FIG. 1 , the adhesion region  118  separates the signature space  114  from the pouch  104 . 
   The extension portion  110  of the envelope  100  may be formed in a number of ways. For example, the front sheet  106  alone may extend laterally past the adhesion region  118 , or the rear sheet  108  alone may extend laterally past the adhesion region  118 , or both of the front and rear sheets may extend laterally past the adhesion region. In the first of these three possibilities, the signature space  114  may be carried on the rear surface of the front sheet  106 . In the latter two of these three possibilities, the signature space may be carried on the rear surface of the rear sheet  108 . (It may also be the case, even if both sheets extend laterally past the adhesion region  118 , that one of the sheets extends further than the other.) If both sheets extend past the adhesion region  118 , there may be another adhesion region, which is not separately indicated, to join the sheets together, for example, at the outer edge of the extension portion/stub  110 . 
   The envelope  100  further includes a flap  120  which is sized so as to substantially completely cover the rear surface of the envelope  100  (including the rear surface of the extension portion/stub  110 ). The flap  120  is located so as to close the pouch  104  of the envelope  100  when the flap/envelope are sealed. 
   In some embodiments, the envelope  100  may be generally similar in construction to one or more of the vote-by-mail return envelopes disclosed in prior, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/646,146, filed Dec. 27, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. One possible difference between the envelope  100  disclosed herein and the envelopes disclosed in the prior application, is that the envelope  100  shown herein may, at least when the flap  120  is closed, be sufficiently opaque at the stub  110  to prevent the voter&#39;s signature from being viewed, even by shining a bright light through the stub  110 . 
   In using the return envelope  100  to vote by mail, the voter may simply mark his/her ballot  102 , place it in the pouch  104  of the envelope  100 , inscribe his/her signature in the signature space  114  and seal the envelope  100  by adhering the flap  120  to the rear surface of the envelope  100 . 
     FIG. 2  is a schematic rear view of the return envelope  100 , showing the condition of the envelope when it is sealed for mailing. As seen from  FIG. 2 , the flap  120  is adhered to the rear surface of the envelope  100  to cover substantially all of the rear surface, including the signature space  114  (shown in phantom). Also shown in phantom is the ballot  102  which is contained in the pouch (not separately indicated) of the envelope  100 . 
   Three other features of the envelope  100  are visible in  FIG. 2 , all printed on the outer surface  202  of the flap  120  (it will be recognized that when the flap  120  is sealed as shown in  FIG. 2 , the outer surface  202  of the flap  120  forms substantially all of the rear surface of the envelope  100 ). A first one of the three features referred to in the previous sentence is a barcode  204  (in the particular example shown, a two-dimensional barcode), which contains data to identify the voter whose ballot is contained in the envelope and who signed the stub  110 . A second one of the three features is a barcode  206 . The barcode  206  represents a unique identifier (numeric, alphanumeric or a string of letters or other characters) for the stub  110 . The barcode  206  is located on a region  208  of the flap  120  that overlies the stub  110 . The region  208  may be referred to as the stub-side region of the flap  120 . The third one of the three features is a barcode  210 . The barcode  210  represents a unique identifier (numeric, alphanumeric or a string of letters or other characters) for the pouch  104  ( FIG. 1 ). The barcode  210  is located on a region  212  of the flap  120  that overlies the pouch  104 . The region  212  may be referred to as the pouch-side region of the flap  120 . It should be noted that the barcodes  206 ,  210  can be applied to the envelope  100  before the envelope  100  is sent to the voter, or can be printed on the regions  208 ,  212 , respectively, after receipt of the envelope  100  back from the voter as described below. 
   In some embodiments, for example, the barcodes (as illustrated) may be implemented as four-state barcodes such as the four-state barcode specified for some postal applications by the U.S. Postal Service. The barcodes  206 ,  210  may or may not be identical. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the identifier represented by stub barcode  206  has a different value from the identifier represented by pouch barcode  210 , i.e., the barcodes  206  and  210  are not the same, but instead are associated with one another as described elsewhere herein. In this manner, the matching of the barcode  206  to the barcode  210 , and thus the ballot contained in the pouch  104  to a specific voter, by simple visual inspection is prevented. The number of data bits supported by the barcodes  206 ,  210  may be more or fewer than the number of bits indicated in the drawings. 
   In accordance with conventional practices a destination address for the return envelope (address of the voting registrar) may be printed on the front surface (not shown) of the vote-by-mail envelope. It will be appreciated that the front surface of the envelope is the opposite surface from the rear surface that is shown in  FIG. 2 . Of course, virtually all of the rear surface of the envelope is formed by the outer surface of the flap  120 . 
   As an alternative to printing the two-dimensional barcode  204  on the flap  120 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the two-dimensional barcode may be printed adjacent the signature space  114 , as indicated in phantom at  204   a  in  FIG. 1 . 
     FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  of another embodiment of a vote-by-mail return envelope. The vote-by-mail return envelope shown in  FIG. 3 , generally indicated by reference numeral  100   a,  differs from the vote-by-mail return envelope shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  principally in that the extension portion/stub  110   a  of the envelope  100   a  is offset downwardly relative to the pouch  104 , rather than laterally, as is the case with the stub  100  relative to the pouch  104  in the envelope  100  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . It should also be understood that the flap  120   a  of the envelope  100   a  of  FIG. 3  may have printed thereon the same barcodes (not visible in  FIG. 3 )  204 ,  206 ,  210  described above, with barcodes  204 ,  206  located on a portion of the flap  120   a  that overlies stub  110   a  when the flap is sealed, and with barcode  210  located on a portion of the flap  120   a  that overlies the pouch  104  when the flap is sealed. The portion of the flap  120   a  that overlies stub  110   a  may again be referred to as the stub-side region of the flap  120   a,  and the portion of the flap  120   a  that overlies the pouch  104  may again be referred to as the pouch-side region of the flap  120   a.    
     FIG. 4  is a flow chart that illustrates a process provided according to an aspect of the invention for processing a vote-by-mail return envelope  100  or  100   a  after the envelope is received by the voting registrar from the voter. (The terms “voting registrar” or “registrar” as used herein should be understood to refer to any organization that processes, verifies and/or counts ballots mailed in by voters.) 
   At  400  in  FIG. 4 , a return envelope  100  (or  100   a ), presumably with a ballot  102  inside, is received at the registrar&#39;s office. If barcodes are not preprinted on the return envelope  100 , then in step  402  such barcodes are generated and a stub barcode  206  and pouch barcode  210  are printed on the envelope  100  in the respective areas. It should be understood, of course, that if the barcodes  26 ,  210  are already provided, then the processing of step  402  need not occur. If the barcodes  206 ,  210  are already provided on the envelope  100 , then in step  404  the stub barcode  206  and the pouch barcode  210  are scanned to obtain the identifiers represented by the two barcodes  206 ,  210 . Regardless of whether the barcodes  206 ,  210  are scanned or generated and printed, in step  406  the identifiers represented by the barcodes  206 ,  210  are then preferably stored. For example, the two identifiers may be stored in respective fields of a particular entry in a database, so that the entry in question provides a link, association or relationship between the two identifiers. In other words, one of the identifiers may be looked up in the database by reference to the other identifier. In other embodiments, a suitable key or other data may provide the link or association between the two identifiers. For example, such a key might be represented by an exponent e in a Galois field GF n . The barcode  206  could represent elements m i  of GF n  and the barcode  210  could represent elements n i =m i   e . Since there might be many voters, several exponents may be used, and the voters partitioned in groups G 1 , G 2 , . . . G N , with each group having its own key e j . 
   In  408 , the voter&#39;s signature and identifying information are separated from the pouch and ballot, such as, for example, by cutting.  FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 2 , and schematically illustrates a technique for cutting the envelope in this manner. In particular, the stub  110  may be detached from the pouch  104  and the ballot  102 , by cutting the envelope vertically (as indicated schematically at  502 ) just outside the boundary  112  of the pouch  104 . It will also be noted that the cutting takes place between the barcodes  206 ,  210 . It should further be understood that the above-mentioned stub-side region of the flap  120 , at least after the operation  408  (as illustrated in  FIG. 5 ), should be considered part of the stub  110 , and the pouch-side region of the flap  120 , at least after the operation  408  (as illustrated in  FIG. 5 ), should be considered part of the pouch  104 . After the cutting operation, the barcode  210  remains on the pouch  104  to identify the pouch during further processing, the barcode  206  remains on the stub  110  to identify stub  110  during further processing, and data stored in a database provides a link between the stub identifier and the pouch identifier to allow processing of the stub to affect processing of the pouch. 
   Once the pouch and stub have been separated in  408 , the pouch and stub may be processed separately. For example, the stub may be collected with a batch of stubs from other vote-by-mail return envelopes sent by other voters, and the pouch may be collected with a batch of pouches from the other envelopes. At  410  in  FIG. 4 , the stub identifier barcode  206  is read from the stub  110 . At  412  in  FIG. 4 , the two-dimensional barcode  204  is read from the stub  110  to identify the voter whose signature is carried by the stub  110  and whose ballot is contained in the pouch that was separated from the stub. 
   At  414 , the stub  110  is physically processed to allow the voter&#39;s signature to become visible, and possibly to allow an image of the voter&#39;s signature to be captured. Prior to the physical processing of the stub at  414 , at two sides (bottom and right sides) of the stub the flap may be held to the stub by adhesive (not shown), the hinge of the flap may form a top side of the stub, and the flap may be unattached at the left side of the stub (where the stub was cut from the pouch). To allow the flap  120  to be peeled back, the bottom and right sides of the stub  110  may be cut off. Then the stub may be fed past a friction wheel  602 , as schematically indicated in  FIGS. 6 and 7  (pinch roller below the stub is not shown), to peel back the flap so as to reveal the voter&#39;s signature  604 . (In the view of  FIG. 7 , the friction wheel is shown in an offset position relative to its actual position, which is as shown in  FIG. 6 . The offset presentation of the friction wheel in  FIG. 7  is for the purpose of allowing into view the peeled back condition of the flap and the voter&#39;s signature uncovered by action of the friction wheel.) 
   In an alternative embodiment of step  414  (enabled by an alternative embodiment of the stub), cutting and peeling of the stub  110  are not performed. Instead, the flap may be formed of a type of paper or other material that becomes transparent when a suitable substance or solution (e.g., water) is applied to the flap. Materials that may be changed from opaque to transparent by application of a suitable chemical, and chemicals for so doing, are disclosed and/or discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,103,355; 6,143,120; and 6,692,819; and in co-pending, commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 11/636,800, filed Dec. 11, 2006. The three patents and the patent application set forth in the previous sentence are all incorporated herein by reference. In the illustration of the alternative embodiment of step  414 , as seen from  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the stub  110  is fed past an applicator wheel  802  (pinch roller again not shown) which applies the transparentizing chemical to the stub/flap to allow the signature  604  to become visible through the flap. In some embodiments the flap may have at least two layers (layers not separately shown), including an outer, transparentizable opaque layer, and an inner, protective, transparent layer to keep the transparentizing chemical from the signature. The region of the flap that is transparentizable and/or with the two layers may be confined to the locus of the signature space. 
   Referring again to  FIG. 4 , at  416 , the voter&#39;s signature is verified. This may entail, for example, retrieving a reference signature image from a database using the voter identification information read at  412  from the two-dimensional barcode. The signature verification may include comparing the retrieved reference signature with an image captured of the signature carried on the stub, or directly with the signature on the stub. The comparison of the signature on the stub with the reference signature may be performed by a human employee of the voting registrar or automatically by machine analysis of the reference signature and the signature on the stub. 
   At  418 , the result of the signature verification operation is recorded. For example, the result (e.g., signature verified, signature absent, signature does not match or symbols representing these results) may be stored in a database in association with either or both of the stub identifier for the stub read at  416  and the pouch identifier for the pouch that was separated at  408  from the stub read at  416 . Various arrangements of data may be used, such that the result of the signature verification operation may be accessed directly or indirectly by reference to the pouch identifier. 
   At  420 , the pouch that was separated from the stub read at  416  can be identified (using the associated identifiers) and sorted, perhaps as part of an operation in which a batch of pouches is sorted. The sorting may be based on the stub identifier, the pouch identifier and the result of the signature verification operation. The sorting should be understood to be based on the stub identifier, for example, if (a) the pouch identifier is read during the sorting, and is used to access the stub identifier, which in turn is used to access the result of the signature verification operation; or (b) the stub identifier is used to store the result of the signature operation in association with the pouch identifier, and the pouch identifier is read during the sorting and then used to access the result of the signature verification operation. For example, if the result of the signature verification operation indicates that the signature on the stub is valid, the sorting of the pouch may cause the pouch to be sorted into a pile of pouches that are to be opened for tabulation of the ballots inside. If the signature was found to be missing or invalid, the pouch may be sorted into one or more other piles, for remedial action. The remedial action may be in accordance with conventional practices. 
   At  422 , at least in the case of pouches to be opened for tabulation of ballots, the data, e.g., the key(s), database entry or the like, that associates the pouch identifier with the stub identifier may be erased or deleted, to preserve the anonymity of the ballot. This step may be performed prior to the opening of the pouch. 
   In some embodiments, in the case of pouches for which the voter&#39;s signature was invalid or missing, the stored data link between the stub and pouch identifiers may remain stored, and the pouch may be brought back together with the stub that was detached from it, to aid in investigation of possible voting fraud or other remedial action. 
   With the process illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the risk of damage to the pouch and ballot is reduced, since the signature and stub are separated from the pouch before the flap is peeled back from the stub or transparentized. 
   As would be expected by those of ordinary skill, the data capture, data storage and data manipulation functionality described above may be implemented by suitable software programming of conventional computer equipment. As is well known, such computer equipment may include one or more microprocessors, program memory coupled to the processor(s) for storing the software instructions so that the instructions may be fetched and executed by the processor(s), mass storage, input/output devices, and other conventional features of computer equipment. Performance of the above described processes may also require operation of paper-handling and barcode scanning/image capture equipment, all of which may be of generally conventional construction. The paper-handling equipment may be controlled by the computer equipment, which may receive data inputs from the scanning equipment. 
   The method steps described herein need not be performed in the order set forth above. Rather, the steps may be performed in any order that is practicable. For example, the order of steps  410  and  412  may be interchanged, and the reference signature may be retrieved before peeling back or transparentizing the flap to allow the signature on the stub to be seen. 
   A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Other variations relating to implementation of the functions described herein can also be implemented. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.