Later this year, an initiative to establish a national testing program for technology integral to U.S. Elections will be launched.
The goal is to make the equipment foreign governments have been targeting more secure, which has led to some interesting conspiracy theories.
Evaluation of Election Technology by States
Voter registration databases, websites used to report unofficial results on election night, and electronic poll books, which are used instead of paper rolls to check in voters at polling places, have been the backbone of election operations and have been evaluated by the states on their own accord.
The Center for Internet Security is planning to launch the first nationwide uniform testing program for the technology, modeling it after existing programs for voting machines. In order to enhance the security and dependability of the technology prior to the 2024 presidential election, it is intended to launch the voluntary service in September.
According to federal data, 15 states, including Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, did not require electronic poll book testing or certification in 2020.
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Use of Electronic Pollbooks in Vote Center Models
In recent years, the use of electronic poll books has expanded significantly. According to data collected by the Federal Election Assistance Commission, nearly one-third of all voting jurisdictions in the United States utilized electronic poll books in 2020, up from about 18% four years prior.
In counties with a vote center model, where registered voters may vote at any polling location, electronic poll books frequently communicate with one another and the central voter registration system. This is one way to prevent people from voting at multiple locations or in person after mailing in a ballot.
Uncertain is the extent to which the new testing program will impact the 2024 presidential election. Much depends on the number of technology providers who sign up and the number of state election offices that utilize it, but there appears to be considerable interest.
During a recent event to discuss the testing program, Jamie Remes of VR Systems, a provider of electronic poll books and election management systems, stated, “One of the major benefits of this program is that it will provide a consistent process for certification across all of the different states that adopt it.”
Participating in the center’s testing pilot was the South Carolina Election Commission, which has developed its own voter registration system.
During a recent panel discussion, commission member Brian Leach stated that one of the program’s benefits was “increasing voter confidence in what we’re doing.”
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