Unisyn Voting Solutions OpenElect FreedomVote Tablet (FVT) is a ballot marking device that combines touchscreen voting with an integrated thermal printer. The FVT is typically used in jurisdictions that prefer voting with a paper trail, but who want to implement a fully-electronic voting experience for all voters. The device is also popular with jurisdictions that have significant volumes of Early Voting or Election Day Vote Centers, as an alternative to hand-marked paper ballots (because FVT essentially supports on-demand ballot printing for many different styles).

The FVT allows voters to mark choices on a touchscreen display. After voters are finished marking all their preferred choices, the device presents a “review page” that allows voters to double-check their choices on their ballot. (And if voters skip any contests, the display indicates this.) After voters have had the opportunity to review all choices on the summary page, voters print a summary paper record of their choices.

The FVT prints paper records in a “strip” or “tape” format, which is more narrow than standard letter-size paper. The summary vote record lists voters’ choice(s) in each contest (rather than all options, like a traditional format ballot), and FVT encodes the voter choices in non-human readable barcodes. The Unisyn voting system counts votes by reading the computerized barcode, not the human-readable text that the voter sees.

FVT has additional accessible features for voters with disabilities. FVT supports accessible voting through an optional tethered Audio-Tactile Interface (ATI), which is a “game controller” style console that includes tactile navigation buttons. The ATI can also support headphones for voters who are blind or visually impaired, or paddles or sip-and-puff devices for voters with dexterity impairments.

FVT does not have scanning or tabulating capabilities. Accordingly, after reviewing choices and printing the summary tape, the voter must insert it into a separate Unisyn OVO scanning tabulator to cast the vote. When the polls close, the OVO scanner can print out the race results and other information on a paper tape (if configured to do so).

OpenElect FVT usage in November 2024 (click for details)

Resources

EAC OpenElect Version 1.1 rev. A Final Test Report (2012)
EAC OpenElect 1.3 Final Test Report (2014)
EAC Initial Certification of OpenElect Suite (2011)
EAC OpenElect Version 1.0 rev. B Final Test Report (2010)