Is The Patriot Voting System™ Expensive? This is really the great news. The PATRIOT is technically in a classification called DRE (Direct Recording Electronic). It is the most cost-effective system on the market today, taking in consideration (1) original purchase price, (2) add-on prices for equipment as cities and counties grow, and (3) annual expense costs. A precinct counting Optical Mark System is approximately the same cost as the PATRIOT Voting System™ when taking into account the cost of optical ballots. Whether being compared to the precinct optical count system or the lower priced central count system, very expensive optical ballots must be purchased election after election, and probably costs will grow year after year. The PATRIOT Voting System™ does not use paper ballots in the precinct or for in-office or early voting, and utilizes ballot-on-demand ballots for mail absentees and sample ballots.