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Hand Marked Ballots

VxSuite can tabulate a wide variety of ballot designs as long as they conform to the following requirements:

  1. Ballot size must be one of the available system options
  2. Ballot must include correctly formatted timing mark borders
  3. Ballot must include an appropriately positioned metadata QR code
  4. Ballot must use a specific bubble shape
  5. Ballot must adhere to system limits

Ballot Size

There are six valid ballot sizes. All are 8.5 inches in width, but vary in height:

Name Length Width
Letter 11" 8.5"
Legal 14" 8.5"
Custom 17" 17" 8.5"
Custom 18" 18" 8.5"
Custom 21" 21" 8.5"
Custom 22" 22" 8.5"

These lengths correspond to the length specified in the Ballot Layout within the election definition.

Timing Mark Borders

Example of timing mark borders on letter-sized paper (scaled)

Every ballot must have timing mark borders on both front and back. The timing marks and page margins are strictly defined:

Dimension
Timing Mark Width 3/16 in.
Timing Mark Height 1/16 in.
Page Margin (Top, Bottom) 12pt (1/6 in.)
Page Margin (Left, Right) 5mm

As for number of timing marks, there are always 34 in the top and bottom borders. The number of marks in the left and right borders varies based on the length of the ballot, and should be calculated by the formula (# inches * 4) - 3. For example, a letter-sized ballot (11 inches) should have 41 left and right timing marks whereas a legal-sized ballot (14 inches) should have 53 left and right timing marks.

The timing marks must be aligned to the margins of the page and evenly spaced.

QR Code Metadata

The ballot must include a QR code which contains key metadata about the ballot.

QR Code Content

The QR code includes ballot metadata:

  • Precinct Index - corresponds to a precinct in the election definition
  • Ballot Style Index - corresponds to a ballot style in the election definition
  • Page Number - page number within the ballot style
  • Test Ballot Flag - indicates whether the ballot is a test ballot or an official ballot
  • Ballot Type (Precinct, Absentee, or Provisional)

In addition, the QR code includes the ballot hash. The ballot hash ensures that the ballot was generated from the same election definition that will be used to interpret the ballot.

For full specifications on how to generate readable QR codes, view the ballot encoder documentation.

Metadata QR Code Placement

The interpreter looks for ballots in the bottom-left corner of the ballot. The detection area is a square whose sides are 1/4 of the ballot width.

The highlighted area must contain the metadata QR code

Bubble Format

In order to be interpreted correctly, bubbles must meet the following dimensions:

Dimension Measurement
Width 0.20"
Height 0.13"
Border Radius 0.7"
Line Thickness 1px (0.265mm)

Bubble example (not to scale)

Grid Coordinates

The timing mark borders define an abstract grid that VxSuite uses to assign coordinates to positions on the ballot. In the election definition, bubble positions and other ballot regions are specified using these grid coordinates. The ballot grid is an XY grid with the origin in the top-left corner. For example, the coordinate (5, 3) would correspond to the following position on the ballot:

Notes:

  • Coordinates correspond to the center of each timing mark
  • Coordinates specify the center of each bubble
  • Fractional coordinates are allowed

Complete Example

Below is a complete ballot that, when paired with the appropriate election definition, could be interpreted within VxSuite:

Valid ballot with timing marks, QR code, and bubbles