CA: Secretary of state announces new requirements for electronic voting

[Wilms]

Secretary of state announces new requirements for electronic voting machines

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

(10-05) 17:47 PDT SACRAMENTO, (AP) --

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson announced new requirements for electronic voting machines Wednesday and said he would create a unit in his office to test and certify the machines.

"We must take these fundamental steps to guarantee public confidence in our voting process," McPherson said in a speech to the California Black Chamber of Commerce.

He laid out 10 requirements that the machines must meet for use in California elections, starting in 2006, including approval by an independent testing unit certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Other requirements include providing state election officials with full information about the workings of the machines and providing machines for testing under simulated Election Day conditions.

snip/more

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/10/05/state/n174728D03.DTL

[texpatriot2004]

1. What do you think about these Wilms? Autorank? Garybeck?

What's your verdict on this step here?

[Wilms]

2. The Press Release reads in part...

pdf: http://www.ss.ca.gov/executive/press_releases/2005/05_111.pdf

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson Outlines New Efforts to Ensure Voter Confidence and the Integrity of Every Vote Cast

Secretary McPherson Announces Statewide Electronic Voting System Requirements and New Office of Voting System Technology

snip

The new conditions for any vendor applying for certification of voting equipment throughout California provide a step-by-step process that identifies how a voting system will be examined to ensure accuracy, security and usability. For the first time, California will have a strict and clearly articulated list of benchmarks that voting systems and their manufacturers will need to meet to be able to be certified for use in California. These requirements will be codified into state regulation.

In a memo sent to county elections officials and all vendors currently certified by the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC), Secretary McPherson noted that he will not consider voting systems unless the vendors or products have:

1. Been federally certified by the EAC-approved independent testing authorities

2. Provided full documentation and training materials of all related system materials, including promotional materials

3. Provided comprehensive use procedures applicable to California elections

4. Established a county user group for annual system review and to ensure voter accessibility

5. Deposited source code in an approved escrow facility and a copy of the source code and binary executables with his office

6. Agreed to provide the Secretary of State a working version of the system components, upon request, for testing and analysis

7. Been certified to be used together as a comprehensive system if the components have been independently certified

8. Agreed to be combined only for purposes of aggregating vote totals or laying out their ballot types

9. Provided printing specifications for any ballots to be used with the components

10. Agreed to volume testing to simulate Election Day use.



#5 is no small advance. Still, DRE's are still vulnerable.

Right BillBored? (Trumpets blare as BillBored enters the discussion and talks about Ballot Definition.)

[kster]

3. Why are they in love with these machines

want to restore the publics confidence here two requirements


1)Paper Ballots

2)Hand Counted


(kster Runs and takes cover)