Voice Response System Developed for Election Day

By CJ Chapman
Governor's Office for Technology

March 3, 2004

The Kentucky State Board of Elections has developed an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to verify voter registration on Election Day as an additional tool in correctly identifying the eligibility of potential voters. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 provided funding for this project. A pilot version of the system was used in four counties, (Campbell, Fayette, Jefferson, and Marshall), during the general election in November, 2003. The system will be used state-wide for the primary election in May of 2004.

The IVR system provides workers at a precinct polling place with another means of verifying a voter's registration if the voter is not listed in the precinct roster. The precinct worker simply uses the telephone to dial a toll-free number to access the IVR system. The worker enters their county number and then is prompted for the voter's Social Security Number. The worker would then enter the Social Security Number using the Touchtone pad on the telephone. If the voter is registered to vote in Kentucky, the IVR system will speak the voter's SSN, name, and the county where the voter is registered. The voter's SSN and name are used to confirm that the Social Security Number was entered correctly. The worker will then advise the voter of their status, direct the voter to the voting machine, direct the voter to the proper precinct or the county clerk's office or allow them to vote using a provisional ballot.

At the completion of the election process, the IVR system will provide management reports that show number of transactions, average transaction time, average hold time, etc. to gauge the efficiency of the system. This information combined with feedback from precinct workers provide the State Board of Elections with the information to fine tune and manage the IVR system.

During the four county pilot in November the management reports showed a total of 1,805 transactions with an average transaction time of 1:11 minutes. "We were extremely pleased with the IVR system. Precinct workers were thrilled to have this simple and easy tool to verify voter's registration status," said Sarah B. Johnson, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections. In addition to meeting provision of the HAVA act, this system will help the State Board of Elections provide Kentucky voters with a better voting experience.

Visit the Kentucky Board of Elections Website at: http://www.kyelect.com


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