Comment by George Gilbert (Local Election Official)

4.4.1-A.2—To require that IVVR systems be “software independent,” by your definition, “the exclusion of software or programmable devices from the voter verification process,” denies to election security the principle tools used by all critical systems (spaceflight, airplanes, banking, nuclear power plants, etc.) ie., operational monitoring and backup by redundant computer systems. To deny elections access to the most accurate, most secure and most reliable recording and tabulation technology available cannot be the objective of the voting system guidelines. This said, these guidelines must establish standards for “independent software” based IVVR systems, not “software independent” systems.