Starting in the early 1980s there was a Unix RISC based VR product. Around the Mid-90s there was a desire to create a new product based on the Microsoft Platform running on Intel processors. Approximately 6 years of R & D have been put into the new product. The current product uses MS SQL Server 2000 for the database, and the screen interfaces are written in Borland's Delphi. Borland is a good choice for this application. Other vendors use Borland's Delphi for VR as well. Fidlar uses it for some of their modules (such as Pollworker and Sweeper module).

When you first log in you are checked as to the level of security that you have in the system. The security module is user friendly and allow very fine grained restrictions. You can restrict users from seeing entire modules, or restrict down to the field level. For example, you may have a public use machine that does not show SSNs. The security module allows you to create profiles. Profiles are sets of privileges or restrictions. These profiles can be copied and then modified to create new profiles. The security for users can been shows as a graphic tree structure. This is unique in the industry as far as I can tell.

In addition, during the logon procedure the systems checks to see if there are any updated files. If so, those are applied at the time of login. Therefore, a user doesn't have to find out if they need to an update. They are done at the time of log in. As a comparison, in election.com's VR system each user has to do an upgrade process. Some do it, and some don't. As a result, you have an office full of users with different versions of the software running. To get that to work, you have to internally enforce rules about doing upgrades. With the Sequoia system, that isn't necessary as the user always has the latest version when they log in.

When the application starts there is simply a Menu Listing: Files/Reports/Tables/System/Misc.

The main voter entry screen shows a data entry area to the left, a set of tabs in the center (to open more data on the voter), and large notes area at the bottom, and a moveable listing of main voter information at the top. This interface is clearly unique in the industry.

The tabs allow you to see the Polling Locations for that voter, along with District information, absentee ballot requests and status (returned, etc.), along with any open elections, voter history, and NVRA correspondence tracking and voter status (active, inactive).

At this point, it was shown that on-line context help is always available. What is also unique to this is the ability to add further information at the user level to the help screens. This is a great features that would be quite useful.

Data entry is simplified by use of pop-up screens and codes as short cuts. For example, when entering in party, a D or R pops up and then Democrat or Republican in entered in the field.

In addition of the house # and address is legitimate (as matched against the Street file), the city, state and zip is automatically populated.

Again, the emphasis is upon easy of use and efficiency.

You can track workers that work at polling locations or at locations such as the warehouse. All those workers, even at the warehouse can be tracked and paid.

The system allows precinct consolidation. That means you can assign a polling location to serve one or more precincts, or precinct splits. Locations can be shows as active, inactive or potential (or available).

You can use registered or non-registered people as pollworkers (such as underage persons).

When assigning workers for an election, you can rollover workers from one election to the next.

You can track their training classes and deal with all pay rates and mileage. Donated pay can also be accommodated. You can generate reports that tell you when workers need to be re-trained. You can also generate a report showing where you are short needed workers. Complete history of their work and class assignments are tracked.

The VR program updates the PW information. There is an alert function that will automatically inform you that the main voter record has been changed. Workers can also be defined as permanent absentee voters and automatically sent out an absentee ballot.

There is also extensive use of bar codes in pollworker reports. You can record class attendance by wanding back in a bar code on an attendance sheet.

Payroll proofing reports are also available.

Equipment tracking is not part of the polling place area. It is in its own module. Here you can do quite extensive tracking. You can track equipment that has a serial number (such as voting machines). You can set the number of supplies that need to go out based on the number of registered voters. You can also specify Delivery Teams. Equipment can also be rolled over from one election to the next.

The system also creates Equipment Delivery Sheets: these list all the equipment sent out to a location. Equipment can be checked off from this list. It also contains information such as where the equipment is to be setup in the location.

The reporting capability is probably the strongest aspect of this system. The system allows 4 levels of reporting. They are:

1. Fixed System Reports.
2. Graphic Reports (statistics button).
3. Voter Report Generator (VRG)--ad hoc reporting.
4. Report Builder-custom report creation and mgt.

Custom reports can be created and embedded into the menu structure of the system. This is a great feature. Typically you create something like a Crystal report and then you have to open Crystal reports and find the report, put in criteria and then run it.

Sequoia bucked the general trend of using a common report package such as Crystal Reports. The reality is that MOST elections offices don't have anyone on staff that knows Crystal. In addition to knowing the report writer, you also have be quite knowledgeable about the database structure and linking in order to create even the most basic reports.

The use of graphic reports is uncommon in the VR world (Tenex does a few limited graphic reports). Here you can print bar, pie and line charts. You can also export them to Powerpoint. This allows nice graphic reports to be sold to the political parties as well as used in official presentations, etc.

In the VRG module, you have listing of fields on the left. From there you can select such things as one election or multiple elections. Then you can select the type of report—label, listing, etc. You can click on Results to see a preview of the data before printing. You can also SAVE these custom created ad hoc reports. An export wizard also runs that has a TON of export formats. No other VR vendor has anything close to that.

In addition, it can output reports in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf). Since this is now an industry standard this is a great feature. It allows you to output reports that can easily be placed out on the county web site, or e-mailed to anyone. This is a unique feature of this system. Reports can also be sent to an e-mail client (like you would do in Microsoft Office). This is a great time saver as well.

In the most advanced level of reporting you can alter reports as needed. You can setup custom page breaks, groupings, etc. You can specify the alignment, fonts, headers and footers. Typically footers list the report name and path. Reports can also be embedded into the system.

Report print jobs can also be sent as batches. You also have the ability to retrieve the batch items after batches have been sent. This is often important. In some other systems, (such as election.com) once the batch has been sent and recorded, all tracking of the items in that batch are gone.

Furthermore, the system is smart enough to consolidate such items as ID cards. This means that if you have 2 or more batches queued up and they contain ID cards for the same person, it is smart enough to only send one ID card to that person (unlike election.com's system).

Also, if a printing job is interrupted, it can pick back up where it left off. In other systems, you have to find the last page printed, then find where that name is in the batch and link that to a page number and re-start printing at that page. This is a great time saver!!

A redistricting "what if" module is in progress. This allows you to work on redistricting without the data being live. When all the changes are the way you want them, they can be applied to the live database. Election.com claims to have something like this, but it doesn't work and they don't seem to be close to getting it to work. Tight integration to a particular GIS system was not proposed as it ties you to selling that GIS. So there are just import and export capabilities to most major GIS systems.

Complete scanning solutions with Signscan, and Signadocs. You can scan signatures as well as complete registration cards. Strobe Pro (Paperport) scanners are used on the desktop level for workstation scanning.

For upgrades, if you click on the VERSION tab you can also read the release notes. I don't think anyone else is doing this.

For training purposes there is a test database that can be used for practice. There are two levels of training supplied: data-entry level training and full administrative training. There is also 24/7 access to a web based support site that contains updates, hints, and other information. This should be a first step approach for customers before contacting the help desk. When full implemented this should lower the number of support calls received. It is essential to keep this information up to date and well stocked if customers are to keep coming to it.

I'm sure I did not review large hunks of this system.  It would have been great if I had some screen image shots here to show various screens. However, this is a very comprehensive system with some features that are simply not found in the industry. The reporting module is probably the most comprehensive in the market. And reports are a huge part of the day to day operations of the system. Getting information in to these systems is often quiet straightforward. Getting information out (the right type of info.) is often VERY complex. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of reports that are needed to supply the needs of the office as well as the public. Attention to reports is critical in this market.  It does that and more!