The Weak Won’t Get Any Weaker
From an Election Assistance Commission Press Release [pdf]:
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Chair Rosemary E. Rodriguez today issued a statement about the EAC’s Voting System Testing and Certification Program. The Election Technology Council (ETC), an organization that represents voting machine manufacturers, has issued a report calling for the EAC to reform its voting system certification process.
The report cites concerns regarding the fact that the EAC has not certified any voting systems, the associated costs to participate in the program, and urges the EAC to “move quickly to recognize the limitations and challenges of regulating the voting industry.” The ETC also asks for more participation in the development of voluntary voting system guidelines (VVSG) by occupying a position on the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC).
“We always welcome feedback about our programs, and we understand that some stakeholders think our certification program is too tough and takes too long,” said EAC Chair Rodriguez. “However, we take our responsibility to certify voting systems very seriously, and we will take the time necessary to thoroughly review them.
“Simply put, the EAC will not sacrifice the integrity of the certification process for expediency.” Read more…[pdf]
From Joyce McCloy of North Carolina Coalitions for Verified Voting:
We should applaud the Chair of the EAC for insisting on integrity in the way the EAC conducts business, and for refusing to weaken the process of certifying voting systems.
The Voting Machine Companies’ lobbying group has asked the EAC to make it (even) easier for them to get their voting systems certified. The vendors also want to be able to communicate with EAC members “ex parte”. (Not open or transparent).
Considering that the standards allow machines to fail almost 10% in any 15-hour period (9.2% to be exact). Do you want it to be easier for vendors to get their systems certified? Also, standards are far weaker for DRE/Touchscreens than for Optical scan.