Patent ID: 8162214

Claim:
An automated method for processing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes having an existing first identifier and an election code containing a precinct designation, the method comprising: entering an election code into a computer; feeding ballot envelopes into a sorting apparatus functionally connected to the computer; placing a second identifier on the ballot envelopes as they are transported through the apparatus; reading at least a portion of the existing identifier on the ballot envelope; providing a first approved data list containing approved voter identifier and associated precinct numbers; comparing read existing identifiers against the first approved data list; rejecting ballots with no or invalid existing first identifiers; reading the election code on the ballot envelopes; rejecting ballot envelopes with no or invalid election codes and sending those ballot envelopes to a reject bin; electronically capturing one or more ballot envelope images; storing the image(s) in an electronic file; electronically determining whether a signature is present in at least one of the one or more images by looking for the presence/absence of dark areas in the signature area of the ballot that exceed an acceptance threshold; directing ballot envelopes without signatures to a rejection bin; automatically sorting non-rejected ballot envelopes into a bin designated for the precinct associated with the ballot envelope; selecting a ballot envelope quantity threshold for each bin; ceasing sorting into a bin when the ballot envelope quantity threshold is reached except for ballot envelopes already in process in apparatus; electronically storing an audit trail for each ballot envelope sorted including in the audit trail a batch with which the ballot envelope is associated; and employing duplex reading wherein a camera processes the front and back side of the ballot in one pass to allow coding of information on both sides.