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ESTEP Guidance for Pre-Election Testing

Monday, February 10, 2025
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Navy background with faint images of numeric code. A white magnifying glass with a red check mark. "PRE-ELECTION TESTING PROCEDURES"

Overview

This guidance has been developed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) to further support and guide election officials in administering elections. They provide a set of written instructions that describe how to perform the baseline process for conducting pre-election testing on electronic poll books (EPBs), electronic ballot delivery systems (EBD), and election night reporting systems (ENR).

What is Pre-Election Testing?

The purpose of pre-election testing is to ensure that all software functions as expected and verify that the system is configured correctly. A pre-election test should be conducted on the system at least once before every election. The steps and plans prepared for your jurisdiction’s pre-election tests can also be used for acceptance testing on new or updated systems provided by a developer.

Note: Pre-election testing is meant to be synonymous with logic & accuracy (L&A) testing, public tests, preventative maintenance testing, or acceptance testing. 
This means that the guidance provided in each document can also be applied to other types of equipment testing.
 

Important note before implementing this guidance…

This testing guidance is designed as a recommendation to assist state and local election officials with the development of pre-election testing procedures. Election officials should develop pre-election testing procedures in alignment with jurisdictional election laws or rules, and directives from their chief election officials. In some cases, affiliated system manufacturers/developers may provide additional guidance on system-specific testing recommendations.

ESTEP Guidance for Pre-Election Testing

  • Electronic Poll Books (EPBs) Pre-Election Testing Guidance

    Used for conducting a pre-election check of systems that automate the process of checking in voters, assigning ballot styles, and marking off voters who have been issued a ballot.

    EPB Pre-Election Testing Guidance

  • Electronic Ballot Delivery (EBD) Pre-Election Testing Guidance

    Used for conducting a pre-election check of systems that allow for the electronic delivery of ballot and voter information packets.

    EBD Pre-Election Testing Guidance

  • Election Night Reporting (ENR) Pre-Election Testing Guidance

    Used for conducting a pre-election check of systems that collect, aggregate, report, and share accurate election results to the public in real-time.

    ENR Pre-Election Testing Guidance

Questions? Please Contact:  

Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program 
[email protected]