Vogue Election Products & Services: Developer of Innovative Election Products
Circa 2004

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Update 2021: Given the issues with our elections last year, the original content from this legacy site was deemed historically important for those looking at the evolution of voting systems in the US. In light of current events, the Web Archive Project funded its restoration for use by educators and the public who may be interested in the role private innovators played in our electoral process. Daniel Decker applied for the grant on behalf of Vote America! and Election Nation. Sponsors included these Louisiana maritime attorneys at OffshoreInjuryLouisiana.com who played active roles in advocating for voters' rights. The union workers working the docks and rigs in Louisiana's ports strongly supported Vote America's efforts to make elections more transparent and fair, not only for maritime employees, but also for all US citizens.

 

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Vogue Election Products & Services was a developer of innovative election products.This was their website for a number of years.
Content is from the site's 2004 archived pages to be viewed in its historical contex.

 

Vogue Election Products & Services, LLC.

Our latest offering, the AutoMark™ Voter Assist Terminal is an exciting new product that provides voters with disabilities the ability to mark an optical scan paper ballot. Not only does this product open the election process to voters with disabilities as never before, but also it gives election jurisdictions HAVA compliance which protects their legacy optical scan systems and maintains a paper audit trail. 

Voter Assist Terminal

The AutoMark is a ballot marking system designed to provide privacy and accessibility to voters who are blind, vision-impaired, or have a disability or condition that would make it difficult or impossible to mark a ballot in the usual way. In addition, it provides language assistance to voters who are more comfortable speaking an alternative language or who have reading difficulties. The AutoMark voter assist terminal has been developed with input from election authorities and disability organizations, and meets all of the requirements of “The Help America Vote Act of 2002.”

Voters insert their standard optically scanned ballot--punch-card width or standard page width--into the slot, and the AutoMark reads the ballot style. There’s no need for a special ballot. Voters can use the touch screen to scroll through the options and make their selections. Then the AutoMark prints the selections onto the ballot, and the ballot is returned to the voter to be cast in the regular fashion.

Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
Disabilities which might prevent a voter from marking a ballot range from blindness or impaired vision, to an age-related condition such as arthritis or Parkinson's disease. In addition, a temporary condition such as a broken arm could make it difficult for a person to mark his or her vote. The AutoMark voter assist terminal displays each race on screen in a variety of magnifications, and the voter uses the touch screen to make a selection. Blind voters or those with severely impaired vision can choose to listen to the choices through headphones.

Alternative Language Accessibility
Assuring that all citizens in a diverse population can exercise their privilege to vote, visual and audible ballots in multiple languages can be stored on a single machine.

Audit Capability
The AutoMark does not tally or store votes. The AutoMark simply marks a conventional paper ballot which is then cast by the voter. The paper ballot can be audited in the same manner as hand marked ballots.

Protect Legacy Systems
The AutoMark is designed to work with and enhance all major optical scan/mark sense voting systems currently in use. It is expected that the vast majority of voters will continue to manually mark paper ballots during the election process. Voters with disabilities or a personal preference will be able to use the AutoMark by inserting the same paper ballot used by other voters into the AutoMark.

After all decisions have been made by the voter, the AutoMark prints those selections on the paper ballot which is then cast by the voter in a manner identical to all other voters, using existing optical scanner hardware/software solutions. There's no need to reinvest in a new ballot style or tabulation system.

Write-In Candidates
The AutoMark also allows for write-in candidates where appropriate. Voters can spell their candidate’s name using a touch-screen keyboard. Blind voters can use audio prompts to navigate through and select letters one at a time. After all selections are made and the answers have been confirmed by the voter, the AutoMark prints the name of the designated write-in candidates in the appropriate locations on the ballot.

No Special Ballot
The AutoMark does not require a special ballot. Voters with disabilities and those requiring language assistance use the same ballot as any other voter. The AutoMark scans the ballot to determine the appropriate ballot style, and presents the choices for each race in sequence. Once the voter has made his or her selections, the AutoMark fills in the ovals or squares and prints the write-ins as entered by the voter. The voter then takes the marked ballot to the tabulation equipment, just like any other voter. There is no need to print special ballots, and voters with disabilities get the same privacy and confidentiality as other voters.

Over-Voting
Over-voting cannot occur when a voter uses the AutoMark to mark his or her ballot. The AutoMark software has been developed to ensure that no more than the proper number of candidates can be chosen for each race.

Under-Voting
The AutoMark minimizes under-voting by providing voters with a summary page of their selections. Voters will be able to notice any skipped races and are free to change their selections prior to printing.

Availability
The AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal has been federally certified and is in use in 35 states.

 

For more information please contact us on-line or call us at 888.761.9266

 

The AutoMark is a ballot marking system designed to provide compliance with “The Help America Vote Act of 2002” while working with current optical scan voting systems instead of replacing them. 

The "V-Box" helps minimize storage for optical scan tabulators. This state-of-the-art collapsible ballot box takes up less than 1/3 the space of other ballot boxes!

Durable, lightweight and versatile, our Voting Booth is designed for convenience at the polling place.

 

	AutoMark™ Voter Assist Terminal		V-Box Ballot Box		Vogue-1 Voting Booth		Ballot Transfer Sleeve

The flexible, durable, portable, collapsible ballot box for Optical Scan Tabulators!

Simplify the transport of optical scan tabulators to and from the polls on election day and store and protect them year round with the V-Box!

Minimize Storage for Your Optical Scan Tabulators
The V-Box ballot box was designed and developed in conjunction with election officials. It works with the ES&S M100 Scanner and the AccuVote Optical Scan Tabulator. This-state-of-the-art collapsible ballot box takes up less than 1/3 the space of other ballot boxes, thus saving you money in storage expenses.

Easily Transport To and From the Polling Place
The V-Box has wheels and a handle, so it can be rolled like a suitcase. Because it is collapsible, it fits into the trunk or back seat of most compact cars.

The V-Box ballot box has worked extremely well for us. With 850 ballot boxes, moving and storage has been a tremendous problem in the past. Not only does the Space Saver make preparing for an election easier, they have superior functionality in the polling place and have cut our storage requirements by over half.

Robert Saar
Executive Director
DuPage Election Commission
DuPage County, Illinois

Secure Ballot Storage During Elections
The scanner locks into position and the ballots drop into the secure storage compartment after tabulation. The ballot compartment is divided into two spacious compartments. Write-ins are diverted to a discrete area, while standard ballots fall into the main compartment, which has a 3000 ballot capacity!

Enhanced Privacy and Security
The V-Box includes a privacy shield to provide voter confidentiality. For added security, the tabulator is locked into place and access to the memory card is covered with a locked compartment providing additional security.

The V-Box can easily fit in the trunk of a small or mid-size car.

Durable
Other ballot boxes are prone to warping, but the V-Box is constructed of heat resistant/high impact thermo plastic--the same plastic used for automobile bumpers--for long lasting, lightweight durability under any climatic conditions. Will not dent or rust.

 

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Bringing the same experience and innovation to voting booth design as in our ballot boxand our other products, the Vogue I Voting Booth is designed to look good and last for years!

It features a heavy duty, high-impact plastic case with easy to follow instructions molded right into the case. Packed inside the case are lightweight aluminum legs with featured stabilizer bars for added strength and stability. Optional UL listed florescent light fixtures are available for voter safety. The unit is designed with molded stacking features for easy storage. Available in heights to accommodate standing voters as well as ADA-compliant wheelchair-height versions.

 

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More Background On VogueElection.com

 

VogueElection.com served for many years as the official website of Vogue Election Products & Services, LLC, a private American company active in the early 2000s that contributed substantially to election-technology development during a formative era in U.S. voting reform. Though the brand no longer operates in today’s election-technology market, its preserved website and legacy documents remain historically significant, particularly due to the company’s influential role in developing the AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal, one of the earliest and most widely adopted accessible ballot-marking devices used across dozens of U.S. states.

This article provides an extensive examination of the website and the entity behind it, drawing from historical archive material, public information about the company’s products, and reporting on the broader national context that shaped the development and adoption of accessible voting technologies.

Origins and Mission of Vogue Election Products & Services

Vogue Election Products & Services, LLC emerged in the early 2000s, a period of intense scrutiny and reform in the U.S. election system. The 2000 presidential election had exposed vulnerabilities in paper-based punch-card ballots, generating national debate over voting reliability, accessibility, and auditability. In response, Congress enacted the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), which mandated that election jurisdictions provide at least one accessible voting method per polling place.

Into this space stepped Vogue Election Products & Services. Rather than building an entirely new electronic voting system, the company focused on innovating around existing paper-ballot systems, developing tools that made elections:

• More inclusive

• More accessible

• More auditable

• Less costly to upgrade

Their approach centered on enhancing—rather than replacing—legacy optical-scan voting systems.

The company’s guiding idea was simple but transformative:
Improve accessibility and accuracy without sacrificing the transparency and security of paper ballots.

This philosophy is evident in every product listed on VogueElection.com, and especially in their flagship creation—the AutoMark.

The AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal: A Landmark Innovation

Purpose and Design

The AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal, prominently featured throughout the VogueElection.com archival pages, was designed to solve a problem that had long troubled election authorities:
How can voters with disabilities privately and independently mark a paper ballot?

The AutoMark provided the answer.
It was not a vote-tabulating machine. It did not store or calculate votes. Instead, it functioned as a ballot-marking device:

1. A voter inserted a standard optical-scan ballot.

2. The machine identified the ballot style automatically.

3. The voter made selections using an accessible interface.

4. The AutoMark printed the voter’s choices on the ballot.

5. The voter cast that ballot in the same scanner all other voters used.

This preserved the paper audit trail, the transparency, and the uniformity of the election process.

Accessibility Features

According to historical content preserved from VogueElection.com, the AutoMark supported:

• Large-print display modes

• Multiple magnification levels

• High-contrast text

• Audio ballots through headphones

• A tactile keypad for blind voters

• The ability to accept “puff-sip” or other assistive input devices

• Multi-language ballot presentation

• On-screen write-ins using a touchscreen keyboard

These features were revolutionary for their time, and they meaningfully advanced independent voting for:

• Blind and low-vision voters

• Voters with arthritis

• Voters with Parkinson’s

• Voters with temporary injuries

• Voters who spoke English as a second language

• Voters with reading challenges

Protection Against Invalid Ballots

The AutoMark was programmed to:

• Prevent over-voting (choosing too many candidates)

• Alert voters about under-voting (skipped contests)

• Present a summary screen before printing

• Ensure the printed ballot reflected exactly the voter’s selections

This improved accuracy without restricting voter choices.

Impact on Election Administration

The AutoMark’s compatibility with existing optical-scan systems made it an ideal solution for jurisdictions seeking:

• HAVA compliance

• Improved accessibility

• Preservation of paper ballots

• Reduced long-term costs

The system eventually saw adoption across more than 35 U.S. states, according to historical references, and was one of the first widely deployed accessible ballot-marking systems in the country.

Other Vogue Election Products Featured on VogueElection.com

While the AutoMark was the company’s most influential creation, VogueElection.com also promoted several additional products designed to support election workers and improve polling-place operations.

1. The V-Box Collapsible Ballot Box

The V-Box was a collapsible, portable storage and transport solution for optical-scan tabulators.

Key attributes included:

• Durable thermoplastic construction

• Suitcase-style wheels and pull-handle

• Compatibility with major tabulators (such as the M100 and AccuVote)

• Dramatic reduction in storage space (less than one-third of competing boxes)

• Enhanced privacy panels

• Separated internal ballot compartments

• Secure locking mechanisms for memory cards and tabulators

Election officials quoted in the archived website materials praised the V-Box for saving money, reducing storage requirements, and improving the logistics of transporting heavy tabulator machinery.

2. The Vogue-1 Voting Booth

This was a portable, durable, high-impact plastic voting booth designed for long-term use.

Features included:

• Lightweight design

• Aluminum stabilizer bars

• Molded stacking features for storage

• Options for fluorescent lighting

• ADA-compliant wheelchair-height versions

• Five-year warranty

The booth stored its own legs and hardware inside its case, making it easy to transport and set up.

3. The Andersen Ballot Transfer Sleeve

Branded by Vogue as the “Ballot Transfer Sleeve,” this was a secure, rigid sleeve used for transporting optical-scan ballots.

Two sizes were available, accommodating:

• 14-inch ballots

• 19-inch ballots

These sleeves were designed to protect ballots during movement between polling places, counting centers, and storage facilities.

The Role of VogueElection.com as a Website

The VogueElection.com website served several purposes:

1. Product Showcase and Sales Portal

The site presented full product descriptions, photos, specifications, and benefits of each device. Election officials could:

• Review technical capabilities

• View product diagrams

• Request more information

• Contact sales representatives

• Access product support details

2. Public Education Tool for Accessibility

The archived site emphasized the importance of:

• Independent voting for disabled individuals

• Language accessibility

• Paper ballots as a means of verification

• Protecting legacy investments in tabulation hardware

3. Historical Reference After Re-publication in 2021

The preserved content includes a note explaining that the original material was restored due to its importance in understanding the evolution of U.S. voting systems.

The effort was reportedly supported by civic groups and private advocates concerned with:

• Voter rights

• Election transparency

• Accessibility

• Auditability

The restoration also highlights the company’s influence on the broader history of election technology.

Ownership and Associated Organizations

Historical descriptions indicate that:

• Vogue Election Products & Services, LLC was the firm behind the technologies.

• The site’s restoration was pursued by Vote America! and Election Nation, as part of a historical preservation initiative.

• Funding for restoration came from civic-minded organizations and advocates, including maritime workers and attorneys who supported voting rights efforts.

The ownership structure of Vogue Election during its operational years reflected a private technological company specializing in election equipment development, working closely with election officials, disability-rights groups, and accessibility advocates.

Popularity and Adoption Across the United States

AutoMark’s Spread

The AutoMark gained significant traction nationally. By the mid-2000s:

• Dozens of states certified the device for election use.

• Many jurisdictions chose AutoMark over competing accessible voting machines because it maintained a paper ballot rather than relying on direct-recording electronic (DRE) systems.

• Disability advocacy groups widely supported its adoption due to the machine’s emphasis on independence and privacy.

Election Officials’ Endorsement

Quotes preserved in archival pages describe election administrators praising:

• The V-Box’s convenience

• The AutoMark’s reliability

• The company’s customer support

• The ability to reduce costs without sacrificing accessibility

The widespread state-level certification demonstrates the company’s national relevance during the decade following HAVA’s passage.

Cultural and Social Significance

Vogue Election’s products played a meaningful role in shaping how America approached accessible voting.

1. Accessibility and Disability Rights

Before devices like AutoMark, many blind or physically disabled voters had no choice but to rely on poll workers or assistants to mark their ballots. Vogue’s technology supported the principles of:

• Privacy

• Independence

• Equal participation

This aligned with the broader disability-rights movement and contributed to more inclusive elections.

2. Paper Ballot Integrity

In an era increasingly concerned about electronic voting vulnerabilities, Vogue’s approach championed the paper ballot as a verifiable record. This contributed to a long-term shift away from purely electronic recording systems.

3. Technological Innovation in Civic Infrastructure

Election systems in the early 2000s were largely built and maintained by a handful of established vendors. Vogue Election demonstrated:

• How smaller companies could innovate quickly

• How new ideas could transform entrenched systems

• How private-sector creativity can advance public-good technology

4. Educational Value of the Archived Website

Today, the preserved material helps explain:

• Early 2000s election reform challenges

• The technological options available at the time

• How solutions were pioneered

• How private firms collaborated with public agencies

It serves as a snapshot of a critical decade in modern election history.

Press & Media Coverage

While VogueElection.com itself does not detail media history, independent records and public reporting show that:

• AutoMark was frequently mentioned in election-technology news stories, especially in the context of HAVA compliance.

• Many local and state election boards issued public statements praising their successful rollout.

• Disability-rights organizations cited AutoMark as a leading assistive-voting device.

The product’s eventual adoption by a much larger election vendor further validated Vogue’s innovation.

Long-Term Legacy

Even though VogueElection.com and its parent company are no longer active in the election-technology marketplace, the influence of their technology endures.

The AutoMark concept—in which accessible computerized interfaces mark a physical paper ballot—became a model for numerous subsequent ballot-marking devices.

Many modern systems still follow the same core principles Vogue championed:

• Paper remains the authoritative record.

• Electronic components are used only to assist.

• Accessibility is built into the design.

• Over-voting is prevented.

• Ballot styles are automatically recognized.

The current generation of ballot-marking devices used across the U.S. derive philosophical and technical lineage from the AutoMark’s pioneering design.

 

 

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