U.S. Election Assistance Commission

WASHINGTON- The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) today certified the Election Management System (EMS) 4.0 by MicroVote General Corporation. It is the first voting system to achieve federal certification under the EAC Voting System Testing and Certification Program.

An EAC certification indicates that a voting system has met the requirements of the federal voluntary voting system guidelines by successfully passing a series of comprehensive tests conducted by a federally accredited test laboratory. Certified systems must also meet technical and ethical standards that ensure the integrity of the system as it goes from the test lab to production and into the marketplace.

The voluntary voting system guidelines are a set of specifications and requirements against which voting systems are tested for functionality, security and accessibility. They are developed with the National Institute of Standards and Technology through an inclusive process involving software and security experts, election officials and voter advocates. For more information, visit the voluntary voting system guidelines section at www.eac.gov to view comments and a draft of the next iteration of guidelines.
 
The EAC admitted the EMS 4.0 into its program on Aug. 15, 2007. iBeta Quality Assurance, an EAC-accredited test lab, began the testing process by submitting a draft test plan on Aug. 21, 2007. All versions of subsequent laboratory test plans and test reports of the EMS 4.0 are posted at www.eac.gov along with an outline describing each step of the certification process.

After receiving version 4.0 of iBeta’s test report on Dec. 23, 2008, the EAC issued a tentative decision to certify the EMS 4.0. Certification became official today with MicroVote demonstrating compliance with the following final certification requirements:

• Rebuild the voting system in a trusted environment, known as a “trusted build” (this is performed by the accredited test lab)
• Provide software identification tools to the EAC so that whoever purchases the system can verify its authenticity
• Provide voting system software for the EAC repository
• Agree in writing to all EAC certification conditions and program requirements

Launched in 2007, the EAC certification program marks the first time the federal government has certified voting systems. The program is authorized by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and is voluntary—states are not required to use EAC-certified voting systems, or to test their systems against federal standards. Approximately 10 states require the use of federally certified voting machines.

In addition to the EMS 4.0, eight voting systems are enrolled in the EAC’s Testing and Certification Program. They include the Dominion Voting Democracy Suite; ES&S Unity 3.0.1.0 & Unity 3.0.1.1 w. ATS 1.3, Unity 3.2.0.0, and Unity 4.0; Premier (formerly Diebold) Assure 1.2; Sequoia WinEDS 4.0.34; Unisyn OpenElect Voting System; and Avante Optical Vote-Trakker. To participate in the program, manufacturers must register with the EAC, fill out an application, and select a federally accredited test laboratory to conduct testing to the applicable voting system guidelines.

The EAC Quality Monitoring Program
After certifying a voting system, the EAC is charged with monitoring it. Manufacturers are required to submit reports whenever a federally certified system experiences an irregularity. Likewise, a manufacturer must notify the EAC if it modifies a certified system’s hardware, software or firmware. The EAC will also conduct site visits and reviews of all federally certified systems used in elections.
 
Detailed information about the EAC’s testing, certification and monitoring of voting systems is available in the EAC Voting System Testing and Certification Program Manual. The EAC also regularly posts test plans and test reports, administrative documents and correspondence between the EAC and program participants. EAC testing and certification program news is also available by subscribing to the EAC RSS feed and e-mail newsletter at www.eac.gov.

The EAC is an independent commission created by the Help America Vote Act.  The EAC serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding election administration.  It is charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment.  It is also charged with developing and maintaining a national mail voter registration form. The four EAC commissioners are Gineen Beach, chair; Gracia Hillman, vice chair; Donetta Davidson; and Rosemary Rodriguez.