Patent ID: 6951303

Claim:
A combination electronic and paper ballot voting system comprising: one or more voting stations each having a ballot reader, each said ballot reader having: a surface upon which a paper ballot is placed during voting, a sensing means associated with said surface, said sensing means capturing all marks as they are made by a voter on said paper ballot, a reader control unit that receives said sensed marks, and a first communication means; a computer system operated by a precinct worker, said computer system having: a second communication means in communication with said first communication means, a processing means, and a notification means, such that: as marks are made on said paper ballot by said voter, said marks are continuously evaluated to determine whether the marks made by said voter up to that point in time constitute a valid voting pattern, whereby if the marks made by said voter up to that point in the voting process constitute an invalid voting pattern, said notification means immediately notifies said precinct worker of a voting problem.