Proxy Processing

Organizations that process and tabulate proxies have traditionally relied on a mixture of customized hardware, software and by-hand document inspection and validation. This is a very expensive mechanism both in terms of start-up costs and ongoing maintenance. And organizations are forced to make a trade-off between flexibility on the proxy forms and the expense and risk of more custom programming to meet unique customer needs.

The nation's top proxy and VIF (Voting Instruction Form) tabulators have found a better way to improve customer service while reducing costs with the DocuTran II Proxy Application.

Tangent System's DocuTran II Proxy Application, built with the proven DocuTran II software, offers a superior solution that maximizes customer service while minimizing costs and errors. The Proxy application runs on standard high speed processing equipment such as the Unisys transports as well as high-speed page scanners. No custom coding is required to introduce new Proxy documents into the work stream. Set-up of new proxy forms takes minutes each and can be accomplished by trained, non-programmer personnel using provided GUI set-up utilities.

By leveraging the advanced technology of DocuTran's CND module, there is no need to presort "exception" work - like forms with missing signatures or address changes- in the mailroom. The exception work that needs to be returned to the sender can be recognized during the image capture process and out-sorted to separate pockets. And the proxy application makes use of the CND correction scheme to allow voter intent to be discerned from image and have the counts included in the normal reports rather than via an exceptions report. This same technology can be used as an auditing device to perform QA sampling of captured data.

The DocuTran II Proxy Application offers numerous competitive advantages:

• Simplified mail sort at mail prep. For example, Change of address proxies or missing signature proxies are no longer exceptions. There is also no need to sort work by company or vote.
• Ability to offer and process both standardized and custom proxy form designs without added costs to the processor.
• Ability to process up to 750 different proxy formats intermixed.
• Sophisticated, accurate mark and signature detection capabilities utilizing multiple algorithms, with support for multiple anchors, and automatic stretch and skew compensation.
• Real-time sorting based on OCR data, 2D barcodes, mark detect, signature or other characteristics.
• Optional integration with 3270 for image data entry.
• Runs on multiple hardware platforms, and scales to a wide range of volumes.
• Ability to use image storage on CDs to replace microfilm.
• Faster than film lookup.
• Lowers labor costs.
• Image quality is known at processing time. No lost images due to bad film.
• Save on storage facilities, film developing and supplies.
• Ability to increase service revenue by creating CDs or DVDs of the customer's proxies.
• Ability to leverage the investment in the DocuTran Proxy processing system by installing the companion DocuTran II Dividend Reinvestment Application for all stock transfer department transactions. These include stock purchase payments, sales, enrollments, transfers, issuance, terminations, mergers, buy-ups etc.