Frequently Asked Questions
Technology
Q. What is an audio vote tabulation machine?
A. There is a tabulation machine located at each returning office that has the capability to allow electors to use an audio vote session. It assists visually impaired voters, those who have difficulty reading, those who are physically unable to mark a ballot independently, or any other voters who request to vote this way. Audio vote is not available at the polling stations.
The voter wears a headset, and hear the choices of candidates. Using a Braille controller, a sip and puff device, or a paddle device, the voter will make their choice and a ballot will be printed with the voter's choice indicated. The machine can also perform an audio review of the ballot for the voter to ensure that the marks were printed correctly prior to the ballot being deposited into the ballot box.
Q. Could tabulation machines be hacked into through the internet?
A. No. After nominations close, memory cards are programmed in Fredericton by a specific computer with specialized software. The programming of these cards is verified through detailed logic & accuracy testing done in Fredericton prior to being sent to the returning offices. Once a tabulation machine is activated using a security key and a password, they operate independently, scanning and tabulating ballots. Once the poll is closed, no further votes may be added, and a paper results report is printed showing all votes for each candidate. After the poll is closed, a cellular modem is used to securely transmit a digital file to a secure server, where it is verified and used to report the cast votes. All digital results are double-checked with the original paper results reports the next day, and an audit hand count of a ballot box is held within each electoral district as an additional verification step.
Q. How accurate are these machines?
A. Recounts are often required in municipal elections due to the number of contests and the closer margins. As of 2024, over 60 recounts have occurred with no change to the elected candidate. Recounts of over 70,000 ballots have also occurred in provincial elections, in 10 recounts since 2018, again with no change to the elected candidates. After every provincial election, each returning officer also does an audit, counting the ballots by hand, of one ballot box in their electoral district, to further provide transparency and confirm the accuracy of the tabulated votes.
Q. What if the power goes out?
Will the vote(s) be lost?
Will the machine still work?
A. Should the power be interrupted while voting is happening, the tabulation machine will continue to operate using an internal battery. If the power interruption continues for a long time, the machine will shut down and save all the votes cast to that point on its memory cards. In this situation, the ballot box’s auxiliary slot will be opened, and electors will continue to place their ballot through this slot into a second independent compartment in the ballot box.
Once power is restored, the slot is sealed until the end of election day. When the polls close, the Poll Supervisor and any scrutineers present, witness the tabulation machine officer open the auxiliary compartment, remove the ballots, and feed them through the tabulation machine. Once all the ballots are tabulated, the machine can be instructed to produce a results tape.
Q. Will these machines benefit voters from the disability community?
A. Yes. There is an audio vote capability and this will benefit visually impaired voters, those who have difficulty reading, and others who request to vote this way. The audio-vote system is only available at returning offices.
Q. What is the name of the company supplying the tabulation machines?
A. Dominion Voting Systems Corporation. The company's headquarters are in Toronto, Ontario, where it was founded. The company that was selected through an RFP process because they were able to provide us with the best-overall system province-wide.