{
  "id": "RL33146",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL33146",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 309781,
      "date": "2005-11-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:28:06.397029",
      "title": "Federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines: Summary and Analysis of Issues",
      "summary": "The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA,  P.L. 107-252 ) gave the federal Election Assistance\nCommission (EAC) the responsibility to develop a set of  Voluntary Voting System\nGuidelines \n( VVSG ) to replace the current voluntary  Voting Systems Standards  ( VSS ). \nThe  VVSG  are to provide\na set of specifications and requirements to be used in the certification of computer-assisted voting\nsystems, both paper-based and fully electronic. That was also the purpose of the  VSS,  which\nwere\ndeveloped in response to concerns raised about voting systems in the 1970s and 1980s. Most states\nhave adopted the  VSS  in whole or in part, and most are expected to adopt the  VVSG, \nwhich are\nscheduled to go into effect two years after approval.   \n \n The draft  VVSG,  a partial revision of the  VSS,  was released in June 2005 for a\n90-day comment\nperiod. Volume I provides performance guidelines for voting systems and is intended for a broad\naudience. It includes descriptions of functional requirements and performance standards, and\nrequirements for vendors. The most extensive revisions are to the section on usability and\naccessibility and the section on security of voting systems. Standards are also included for the use\nof voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPAT), a recent security measure developed in response to\nconcerns that electronic voting machines are vulnerable to tampering that might otherwise be\ndifficult to detect. Volume II provides details of the testing process for certification of voting\nsystems and has few revisions. \n \n Some issues associated with the  VVSG  have been controversial. Among them is the\nquestion\nof timing. Some vendors claim that there needs to be more time for technology development before\nthe new guidelines become effective; some activists argue that problems with voting systems, and\nHAVA provisions, demand more rapid implementation of the  VVSG . In any event, it is\ngenerally\nconsidered unlikely that the guidelines will have much direct impact on voting systems used in 2006,\nwhen HAVA requirements for voting systems go into effect. One exception may be the VVPAT\nprovisions, since the  VSS,  under which most current voting systems are certified, have no\nprovisions\nrelating to this innovation. The  VVSG  will be voluntary, but some observers believe that\na regulatory\napproach would be more appropriate given the importance of elections to the democratic process. \nHowever, since many states require that voting systems be certified, vendors are expected to treat\nthe  VVSG  in the same way they have treated the  VSS  -- as effectively mandatory. \n \n Among the other issues being debated about the guidelines are whether they should be\nexpanded to include voter registration systems, whether they impede innovation by focusing on\nintegrated systems rather than components, how to treat commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products\nthat are incorporated in voting systems, and whether a graded certification would be more effective\nthan the current pass/fail approach. Several bills introduced in the 109th Congress could affect the\nscope or other aspects of the VVSG by requiring VVPAT or other security provisions, addressing\nconcerns about conflict of interest, and other measures. None have received committee or floor\naction in either chamber during the first session. This report will be updated in response to major\ndevelopments.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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}