KnowInk

KnowInk, sometimes styled as KNOWiNK or Knowink, is a St. Louis, Missouri-based election-technology company best known for electronic pollbooks. Its primary product, Poll Pad, uses iPad-based hardware and election software to help poll workers locate registered voters, verify eligibility, and complete voter check-in. The system is designed as a digital alternative to paper pollbooks and is used by election administrators to manage voter-facing procedures at polling locations. The company was founded in 2011 by Scott Leiendecker, who had experience in election administration in St. Louis and had previously worked on election-policy investigations following the 2000 election. Leiendecker has said that his interest in simplifying voter registration and polling-place administration was influenced by overseeing an election in Kosovo. He initially financed KnowInk with approximately $50,000 of personal savings and began with three employees. The company worked with local contractors to develop its service and signed agreements with 15 Missouri counties by 2012, becoming profitable that year. In 2013, it received a $50,000 award from Arch Grants. KnowInk expanded through both product adoption and acquisition. In 2016, it acquired Election Administrators, another Missouri electronic-pollbook company. Approximately 20,000 Poll Pad tablets were used in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The company reported or was reported to have generated $53.7 million in revenue in 2019, and by 2020 it was described as the leading provider of electronic pollbooks in the United States, sharing substantial market presence with Election Systems & Software. In November 2020, private-equity firm Hermann Cos. reportedly invested more than $10 million in KnowInk. The investment was intended to support expansion and potential acquisitions. In February 2021, KnowInk acquired BPro, a South Dakota election-software company. The transaction broadened the company's election-administration capabilities beyond its core pollbook business. KnowInk's product portfolio has included Poll Print, which supports voter check-in and ballot printing, and TotalVote, a broader platform intended for multiple election-management tasks. By 2023, the company's systems were used by more than 1,700 voting jurisdictions in 36 states. In that year, Steele Shippy, formerly a campaign manager for Missouri governor Mike Parson, joined the company as chief growth officer. Scott Leiendecker remained chief executive officer, and KnowInk was reported to have 154 employees. The company has also faced operational and reliability concerns. KnowInk electronic pollbooks were associated with equipment or connectivity problems during elections and election tests in Georgia, Philadelphia, Los Angeles County, Ohio, and Texas. In several instances, malfunctions contributed to lengthy voter waits. In April 2025, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose directed an unspecified number of counties to return temporarily to paper pollbooks because of an unspecified security vulnerability involving a KnowInk pollbook; reporting indicated that at least 10 county boards made that switch. KnowInk continued to expand its national role during the 2024 presidential election. According to the company, its systems processed 36 million voter check-ins during that election. In March 2025, KnowInk became the first company in the United States to receive electronic-pollbook certification from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The company therefore occupies an important but closely scrutinized position in the U.S. election-systems market, where reliability, cybersecurity, certification, and election-day support are central to public trust.

KnowInk was established in 2011 by Scott Leiendecker, an election administrator from St. Louis. Before founding the company, Leiendecker had served as the Republican director of the St. Louis City Board of Elections until 2012. He had also been appointed by Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt to investigate election policy in St. Louis after the 2000 election and had worked with Ed Martin during Martin's tenure as chair of the St. Louis City Board of Elections. An election that Leiendecker oversaw in Kosovo helped inspire the idea of making voter registration and polling-place administration easier for both voters and election workers. Leiendecker financed the early company with about $50,000 in personal savings. KnowInk began with three employees and collaborated with local contractors to build its election software and hardware service. By 2012, it had agreements with 15 Missouri counties and had become profitable. In 2013, the company received a $50,000 award from Arch Grants, a St. Louis startup-support program. The company's central offering became Poll Pad, an iPad-based electronic pollbook platform. The product was intended to replace paper pollbooks by allowing election workers to locate voters, confirm eligibility, and record check-ins digitally. KnowInk expanded in 2016 through the acquisition of Election Administrators, another Missouri electronic-pollbook provider. About 20,000 Poll Pad tablets were used in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. KnowInk grew rapidly as U.S. jurisdictions adopted electronic pollbooks. Its revenue was reported at $53.7 million in 2019. By 2020, the company was described as the largest provider of electronic pollbooks in the United States, alongside Election Systems & Software as one of the two most prominent companies in the market. The company also encountered operational problems during this period. Pollbook issues were reported in Georgia local elections in 2019, a Philadelphia test election in 2019, and the 2020 presidential primary elections in Georgia and Los Angeles County. Further problems were reported during the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas. Some incidents produced long lines or extended waits for voters. In November 2020, Hermann Cos., a private-equity firm based in Clayton, Missouri, reportedly invested more than $10 million in KnowInk. The stated purpose was to support future acquisitions and growth. In February 2021, KnowInk acquired BPro, an election-software company based in South Dakota. The acquisition supported a broader product strategy that included Poll Print, for voter check-in and ballot printing, and TotalVote, a platform designed for multiple election tasks. By 2023, KnowInk's systems were used by more than 1,700 voting jurisdictions in 36 U.S. states. Steele Shippy, formerly a campaign manager for Missouri governor Mike Parson, joined the company as chief growth officer. Leiendecker remained chief executive officer, and the company was reported to have 154 employees. By 2025, the largest jurisdictions identified as using its services included Los Angeles County and New York City. KnowInk reported that its technology handled 36 million voter check-ins during the 2024 presidential election. In March 2025, it became the first company in the United States to receive electronic-pollbook certification from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The same period brought renewed scrutiny: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose ordered an unspecified number of county boards to use paper pollbooks after an unspecified security vulnerability was identified in a single KnowInk pollbook. At least 10 county boards were reported to have switched. These events illustrate the dual position of KnowInk in the election-technology sector: its systems are deployed at substantial national scale, while election-day reliability and cybersecurity remain essential sources of regulatory and public scrutiny.

• 2025

  Electronic-pollbook certification

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  KnowInk became the first company in the United States to receive electronic-pollbook certification from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

• 2023

  Expansion to more than 1,700 jurisdictions

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  KnowInk's services were reported to be used by more than 1,700 voting jurisdictions in 36 states.

• 2021

  BPro acquisition

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  KnowInk acquired South Dakota election-software company BPro.

• 2020

  Private-equity investment

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  Hermann Cos. reportedly invested more than $10 million in KnowInk.

• 2019

  Reported revenue reaches $53.7 million

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  KnowInk was reported to have generated $53.7 million in revenue in 2019.

• 2016

  Election Administrators acquisition

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  KnowInk acquired Missouri electronic-pollbook company Election Administrators.

• 2016

  Poll Pad deployment in the presidential election

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  Approximately 20,000 Poll Pad tablets were used during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

• 2013

  Arch Grants award

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  The company received a $50,000 award from Arch Grants.

• 2012

  First Missouri county agreements and profitability

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  KnowInk signed agreements with 15 Missouri counties and became profitable during its second year.

• 2011

  KnowInk is founded

  [1]KnowInken.wikipedia.org

  Scott Leiendecker founded KnowInk in St. Louis, initially financing the company with approximately $50,000 of personal savings.

A specialized U.S. election-technology provider focused on digitizing voter check-in, pollbook management, ballot printing, and related election-administration workflows for public election jurisdictions.

• Electronic pollbook and voter check-in platform

  Poll Pad

  Poll Pad is KnowInk's principal electronic-pollbook product. It combines iPad-based equipment with election software to help poll workers search voter records, verify eligibility, and record voter check-ins. The platform is designed to reduce reliance on paper pollbooks and support faster, more coordinated polling-place administration. It has been deployed by election jurisdictions across the United States, although reported equipment and operational problems have also made reliability and support important areas of scrutiny.

• Voter check-in and ballot-printing system

  Poll Print

  Poll Print is a KnowInk offering used for electronic voter check-in and printing ballots or ballot-related materials. It extends the company's pollbook functionality into polling-place printing workflows and is intended to help election workers manage voter processing through a digital system.

• Election-administration software

  TotalVote

  TotalVote is KnowInk's broader election-software platform. It is intended for a range of election-administration tasks beyond basic voter check-in, reflecting the company's effort to provide integrated technology to public election offices.

• 2025

  Ohio security-vulnerability response

  Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose ordered an unspecified number of county election boards to replace electronic pollbooks with paper pollbooks after an unspecified security vulnerability was identified in a KnowInk pollbook. At least 10 county boards were reported to have made the switch.

  Source

• 2020

  Pollbook failures during primary and general elections

  Problems involving KnowInk electronic pollbooks were reported during the 2020 presidential primary elections in Georgia and Los Angeles County and during the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas. In several jurisdictions, faulty or malfunctioning equipment led to lengthy voter waits.

  Source

• 2019

  Electronic-pollbook problems in Georgia and Philadelphia

  KnowInk pollbooks were associated with operational problems during Georgia local elections and a Philadelphia test election. The incidents contributed to concerns about the reliability of electronic pollbooks in live or near-live election settings.

  Source

Read more

• 2025

  Electronic-pollbook certificationOther

  Background

  Formal certification is significant in a market where election jurisdictions require assurance regarding system standards and operational suitability.

  Action taken

  KnowInk obtained electronic-pollbook certification from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

  Aftermath

  KnowInk was identified as the first U.S. company to receive this certification, while the company continued to face scrutiny over pollbook reliability and security.

  Source

• 2021

  Acquisition of BProM&A

  Background

  Following reported private-equity investment, KnowInk pursued acquisitions intended to broaden its election-technology capabilities.

  Action taken

  KnowInk acquired BPro, a South Dakota election-software company.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded KnowInk's portfolio beyond electronic pollbooks into additional election-administration software.

  Source

• 2016

  Acquisition of Election AdministratorsM&A

  Background

  KnowInk sought to expand its position in the electronic-pollbook market through the purchase of another Missouri-based provider.

  Action taken

  KnowInk acquired Election Administrators.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition contributed to KnowInk's growth and supported wider deployment of its Poll Pad technology.

  Source

1. 1KnowInken.wikipedia.org