I received a call from State of
Virginia with the following questions regarding red ovals and I need
assistance in responding.
1.) Can we use red ovals? Yes the color of
red ink must be Pantone 032
2. ) Are there issues with the blind
population in regards to seeing the red ovals? According to the National Institute for the Blind, 90% of the
blind have limited vision. Those that are colour blind see colour in
shades of grey. Red is seen as almost black. The ideal is a 14
point font on white paper with good lighting. I would think that
using one of those technician's lamps with the circular
fluorescent lamp and magnification would be ideal. I believe they
are used for repairing circuit boards.
3.) What is the acceptable width of the
line that makes up the red oval?
Red ovals may
feature any width, as 032 red is invisible to the card read sensors.
This is the advantage of using red.
4.) Can I print all ovals in black and then make a
second pass at the ballot covering the black ovals with red ink? I have run an election with this combination.
About 4,000 voters. No
problems.
5.) Does anyone have the printer specs
for red ovals?
The oval
weight, placement and size are encoded into the Postscript code. The
oval weight may be manually extended by the print company, as red does not
require a weight restriction, and GEMS will only print the oval weight at
our fixed maximum level, which is .002 inches.
Two options
are available in GEMS for printing ballot artwork with red ovals.
The first one involves printing ballot artwork with separations, where
text and control marks are printed in one separation and ovals are printed
in another separation. The print company then prints the text and
control marks with black ink, whereas the ovals are printed using 032
red. Alternatively, the print company may electronically identify
that ovals must be printed using red, while printing the remainder of the
ballot image using
black.
They would like a response by September
1, 2001 so that they can discuss at a state wide
meeting.
I would suggest you call the local
blind association and discuss what is ideal.
Greg
Thanks in advance for your
help.
Larry
J. Dix
Vice
President of Operations
Global
Election Systems