Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Pilot Program

This pilot program was concluded on October 25, 2023.

Overview

On October 25, 2023, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released a report on the findings of the EAC’s Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Pilot Program. The purpose of this pilot program was to conduct a small-scale preliminary study to evaluate the feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improvement opportunities for evaluating e-poll books for federal testing & certification. This pilot program resulted in the revision of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements (VEPBCR) and the official launch of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program.

• Electronic Poll Book Pilot Program Report

During pilot program testing, which took place between January and August 2023, voting system test laboratories evaluated e-poll book devices from five commercial manufacturers, and two in-house developers (listed below). These systems were evaluated against the pilot version (0.9) of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements developed by the EAC’s Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cybersecurity and accessibility experts, and other key stakeholders. The pilot program confirmed that the systems tested are election ready for use in 2024 and would require only minor changes, such as added documentation, to meet the revised requirements. 

Note: Manufacturers and systems that participated in the Pilot Program were not automatically registered or certified with the EAC but are eligible to participate under the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program. Interested manufacturers must demonstrate that they have met all requirements under the EAC’s Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program Manual and the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements Version 1.0 to apply for certification.

Click here to return to the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program resource page.