The challenge

The Broward County Supervisor of Elections serves 1.3 million voters in 355 precincts. All activities connected to the Supervisor of Elections must be extremely organized and secure to ensure voter integrity, especially for the Voting Equipment Center. Carefully controlled storage and maintenance of voting equipment, as well as the distribution and retrieval of resources on election day, are all essential to the integrity of the voting process. 

During the complexities of monitoring an election, it is critical to have clear, reliable, and immediate communication between the home office and Poll Workers, Voting System Technicians (VSTs), Delivery Trucks, Technical Assistant Teams, and Satellite offices during election time. The BCSOE relies heavily on paid workers for their precinct workers, so it is also important that the process for collecting and tabulating ballots, as well as how they communicate, is as seamless as possible.

The BCSOE had been successfully using Kyocera DuraXV Extreme flip phones for communication for many years, but realized they needed to update the technology. They needed a durable smartphone with cameras that could survive harsh working environments and provide a range of crucial features, including GPS tracking of assets and personnel, and cameras so poll workers could verify ballot seals and ADA Compliance and capture images of new precincts to ensure they met polling place requirements.

industry

State & Local Government

region

Broward County, FL

THE SOLUTION

Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G 

Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband Network with mmWave Speed

Verizon Push to Talk Plus (PTT+)

AdvanceTec Multi-Bay Charger Options

Colored Holsters & Cases for Group Identification

*PTT+ functionality requires an application. Additional fees may apply.

key benefits

• Rugged MIL-STD-810H Protection
• Large, Dedicated PTT Button
• Ultra-loud, Front-facing Speakers
• IP68 Dust Proof, Waterproof
• Powerful 4500mAh Battery
• Dual-band GPS L1/L5 Location Accuracy

In 2022, the BCSOE upgraded to Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G and contacted Kyocera to help implement a solution for updating, managing, and provisioning devices and educate teams on how to use the device and applications.

THE SOLUTION

Kyocera successfully provisioned over 2100 devices and provided training and hands-on support to BCSOE, enabling them to easily maintain and manage their large fleet of devices. The Kyocera Business Select Support team provided additional support to implement a Total Solution. They recommended applications and accessories, including Kyocera Device Control to lock down unnecessary features, and a custom application BCSOE workers could use for one-touch logins. The Kyocera team helped develop customized home screens to easily identify devices for specific uses and locations. An investigation was launched into the use of AdvanceTec Multi-Bay Charger options to ensure devices can be docked and charged when not in use. 

Kyocera’s solution allows the BCSOE to monitor the exact location of each phone, which in turn ensures employees, ballots, and other assets are properly tracked. With PTT+, group communication is instant, reliable, and easy for all workers and employees. 

Kyocera’s contributions improved the election supervision process in Broward County from start to finish. With Kyocera’s total solution approach including DuraForce Ultra 5G rugged smartphone, BCSOE connected workers and monitored assets and ballots, ensuring voter integrity, and saving taxpayer money.