Vote-PAD (Voting-on-Paper Assistive Device)

Cost Comparison: Vote-PAD vs. Electronic Systems

Costs The Vote-PAD Electronic Voting Systems

Direct Acquisition:
For a one-precinct jurisdiction, $2000 to $2200 for an initial package with all necessary equipment and materials for use with twenty different ballots, which represents from 5 to 10 years of elections.
Subsequent Costs:
No additional ballot printing costs or yearly recurring fees. Purchase of new materials after the consumables in the initial package are used up, estimated at $30 to $50 per ballot per election.
Acquisition:
From $3000 to $8000 for one unit
Equipment for people with disabilities (extra on some systems)
Dedicated computer to run tally software
Results cartridges and voter-access cards
Card activator devices
Spare equipment in case of machine malfunction
Replacement of failed equipment after warranty period
Subsequent Costs:
Ballot programming fees
Annual software licensing fees
Technical support fees
Maintenance and repairs
Battery charging
Battery replacement every three years
Software updates

In-house Initially:
Developing supplemental administrative procedures
Ongoing:
Training poll workers on the Vote-PAD
Educating voters with disabilities on the Vote-PAD
Preparing ballot sleeves with holes and bumpons
Generating audio, Braille, and large-print instructions for each ballot, using Vote-PAD's automated tools
Transcribing the Braille instructions; printing large-print instructions

Initially:
Developing new administrative procedures
Developing troubleshooting procedures
Training election staff on electronic equipment
Ongoing:
Training poll workers on electronic equipment
Educating voters on using the electronic equipment
Printing emergency paper ballots in case of breakdowns
Transporting equipment to the polls
Testing equipment before and after the election
Inspecting computer audit logs after the election
Recharging batteries between elections
Providing environmentally controlled storage for equipment
Paying toxic waste fees for rechargeable batteries

The Vote-PAD was developed in cooperation with people with dexterity impairments and people with visual impairments, whose advice and suggestions we gratefully included in the design.