Posted on 01/21/2012 10:43:47 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
Madison - In their effort to review 1.9 million recall signatures, state election officials are embarking on a project unlike any they have done before, relying on newly purchased software that can convert handwritten names into entries in six searchable databases.
Experts say that the type of software the state is using can produce databases in a short time, but that officials must be ready to address numerous errors because computers sometimes misread handwritten letters.
"Handwriting recognition software is not great," said Daniel Lopresti, a computer science professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. "A lot of the names are going to have errors in them."
Democrats submitted signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators Tuesday.
~snip~
The state is spending about $100,000 to buy Artsyl Technologies' docAlpha software and get technical advice. State workers are electronically scanning the petitions so the software can read the printed names on them and convert them into typewritten characters.
The computer determines what each name is and then shows it to a computer operator alongside an image of how it appeared on the petition. The operator will fix any errors before allowing the name to be entered into the database, said Jeff Moore, chief sales officer for Artsyl.
"There's a visual verification of everything," he said. "Someone's going to be looking to say, 'That's John Doe, not Jean Doe.' "
In the past, the accountability board has left it to those facing recalls to find problem signatures. But Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Mac Davis recently sided with Walker's campaign in a lawsuit and said the board must do more to find duplicate and fictitious names.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Wisconsin Recall Signature Verification Procedure (GAB) Ping
If you want your name on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list just FReep Mail me.
That reminded me of the hanging chads picture, remember the one I mean?
Please Lord, protect Governor Walker..
I’d like to help with this effort if I can, so ping me.
Thank you, that’s the one.
Why do I have this feeling we’re (WI) about to go through something similar. (don’t answer, y’all know what it is)
My first impression of the story was that it sounded very Cloward-Piven like, as if intentional to overwhelm the system.
I certainly wouldn’t doubt it, SpaceBar.
You are on the list.
Once scanned, they should post all of the petitions on line.
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