Kansas - Douglas County Clerk/Elections
Program Title
RFID Technology in Election Management
Program Summary
Douglas County, Kansas (voter population 83,000) collaborated with a technology partner to develop, test and implement an RFID (radio frequency identification) equipment chain-of-custody system which includes using a mobile application for event tracking. Barcodes can be cumbersome and impact the efficiency of delivery schedules. Using RFID tags, our office is able to track large groups of equipment or find one specific item in the warehouse while creating a historical event log which can be used for auditing and security. The evolution of RFID technology allowed for use of cellular phones and a moblile app for event tracking, thus reducing costs. The scope of the project expanded from tracking tabulators and ballot marking devices to bags, voting booths, table and chairs. An alert system informs the delivery team if a piece is missing from the allocation for the polling place and central office live monitoring of delivery schedules. This project shows how use of technology advancements have allowed a small/medium size county to implement an innovative approach to a complex logistical problem in election management without adding additional staff.