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Voting System Testing

Voting System Certification

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 established the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) as the federal agency to certify independent testing laboratories and establish voting system standards. These Voluntary Voting System Standards came into effect in December 2007, and all voting systems submitted for certification after that date are exhaustively tested by the independent testing laboratories to ensure conformity with them. Once this testing is complete, a report is written and submitted by the laboratory to the EAC. The EAC then determines whether to grant certification of the system. This certification is proof that the voting system has met the performance and test standards.

Previously, the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) approved independent testing authorities (ITAs) to test voting systems against the performance and test standards established by the Federal Election Commission, which were subsequently updated by the EAC.

 

State Certification

In addition to federal certifiation, a voting system used in Maryland must complete state certification. This is a state testing process to ensure that the voting system meets all of Maryland’s statutory and other voting system requirements.

To be certified, a voting system must:

  • Protect the secrecy of the ballot
  • Protect the security of the voting process
  • Count and record all votes accurately
  • Accommodate any ballot used in Maryland
  • Protect all other rights of voters and candidates
  • Be capable of creating a paper record of all votes cast in order that an audit trail is available in the event of a recount

Acceptance Testing

Every voting unit used in Maryland has undergone a comprehensive, two-part State acceptance test. The first part involves a diagnostic test to ensure that each voting unit and all of its components are performing to the required specifications. The second part involves casting hundreds of votes on each voting unit. A report showing the vote totals is printed from the unit and compared against the expected results. This test ensures that the voting unit is accurately recording and counting votes.

The results from these voting units are then transferred to the central tabulating computer that totals all the votes from the voting units. This ensures that every vote put onto the voting unit during acceptance testing is counted by this central tabulating computer, and that the correct ballot totals are maintained throughout the counting process.

Logic & Accuracy Testing

Logic and Accuracy (L & A) testing is the process by which voting equipment is configured, tested and certified for accuracy prior to each election. Each component is tested to verify that it is fully functional and free from mechanical problems and that each voting unit contains the appropriate ballot styles for its designated polling place.

L & A testing consists of multiple phases:

  • Each voting unit (both ballot marking device and optical scan) is prepared and configured for its designated polling place. The correct ballot styles are downloaded to the voting unit to be used in that election.
  • Hundreds of test votes are cast on each voting unit to ensure that it is recording votes accurately. These test votes are recorded and counted by each voting unit as well as the central tabulating computer. This ensures complete accuracy throughout the entire voting and vote counting process.
  • All test votes are cleared, and the voting units are locked, sealed and secured ready to be used in the election.

Post-election Audit and Verification

After each election, each LBE verifies that the vote totals printed from the individual voting units match the reports generated by the central tabulating computer. This manual verification of a designated number of precincts validates that the central tabulator correctly totaled the results from each voting unit.

While the voting unit verification is being conducted, each LBE also conducts a post-election audit to confirm the accuracy of the polling place reports. This includes auditing signed voter authority cards, pollbook data, other polling place forms completed by the election judges, and the official election results.

If a discrepancy is found during the verification or the post-election audit, the local board continues its audit until it determines the cause of the discrepancy.