  By observing the high galactic latitude equatorial sky in drift scan mode
with the QUEST (QUasar Equatorial Survey Team) Phase 1 camera, multi-bandpass
photometry on a large strip of sky, resolved over a large range of time scales
(from hourly to biennially) has been collected. A robust method of ensemble
photometry revealed those objects within the scan region that fluctuate in
brightness at a statistically significant level. Subsequent spectroscopic
observations of a subset of those varying objects easily discriminated the
quasars from stars. For a 13-month time scale, 38% of the previously known
quasars within the scan region were seen to vary in brightness and subsequent
spectroscopic observation revealed that approximately 7% of all variable
objects in the scan region are quasars. Increasing the time baseline to 26
months increased the percentage of previously known quasars which vary to 61%
and confirmed via spectroscopy that 7% of the variable objects in the region
are quasars. This reinforces previously published trends and encourages
additional and ongoing synoptic searches for new quasars and their subsequent
analysis. During two spectroscopic observing campaigns, a total of 30 quasars
were confirmed, 11 of which are new discoveries and 19 of which were determined
to be previously known. Using the previously cataloged quasars as a benchmark,
we have found it possible to better optimize future variability surveys. This
paper reports on the subset of variable objects which were spectroscopically
confirmed as quasars.
