COMMENT SOUGHT
ON UPDATE OF VOTING SYSTEMS STANDARDS
WASHINGTON—The Federal Election Commission (FEC) today
unanimously approved for public comment a draft of Volume I of the voluntary standards for
computer-based voting systems.
The FEC published the first national
voluntary standards for computer-based voting systems in 1990. Independent testing laboratories use these
standards to test voting system hardware and software under a national program established
by the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED). The FEC/NASED venture represents a unique
federal/state partnership that resulted in the assessment of a number of new voting
systems under the existing standards. NASED’s
experience in the testing process led the organization to ask the FEC to revise and update
the standards four years ago.
Begun in 1999, the FEC since has accelerated
its revision efforts in order to meet pressing demands of state and local governments. Responding to these needs, special emphasis was
placed on addressing the following:
·
Accessibility
- New criteria would make it easier for voters with disabilities to cast ballots and for
election officials with disabilities to operate the systems without assistance.
·
Internet
Voting - New criteria would provide standards by which the accuracy, reliability,
security, and voter privacy afforded by Internet voting systems could be evaluated.
·
Feedback
to Voter - Proposed criteria would expand existing provisions for offering feedback to
the voter to indicate contests where an overvote or undervote is detected.
·
Quality
Assurance and Configuration Management - Additional criteria would expand current
vendor reporting of internal processes for assuring voting system quality and for managing
the development, testing and release of system changes.
The Commission plans to release draft
testing requirements for comment in the fall.
FEC Chairman Danny L. McDonald praised the collaborative efforts of the
Commission’s Office of Election Administration (OEA) and the VSS board in compiling
the draft, commenting, “It is important for both the public in general and election
officials throughout the nation in particular, not only to study this, Volume I of the
VSS, but also to participate in developing Volume II -- test standards and criteria for
computerized voting. By working together, we
can help solve the technical problems experienced in our voting systems, and I believe
this document is a major step toward finding those solutions.”
FEC Vice Chairman David M. Mason noted, “This document points out that voting
system failures are on the decline. But systems standards must be updated and implemented
to hasten the day when system-failures are news primarily because those problems and
failures are so rare. As the Chairman said,
this draft, and the comments received that will eventually compose Volume II, can go a
long way toward that goal.”
Comments on the draft standards must be
received no later than 60 days after the notice seeking comments has been published in the
Federal Register.
Copies of the proposed standards may be found on the FEC’s website at http://www.fec.gov/pages/standardsoverview.htm,
or may be requested by contacting the Office of Election Administration, 202-694-1095. All comments should be addressed to Ms. Penelope
Bonsall, Director, Office of Election Administration, Federal Election Commission, 999 E
Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20463 and must be submitted in either written or electronic
form. Electronic mail comments should be
sent to VSS@fec.gov.
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