The Program is Now Registering Commercial and In-House Manufacturers Interested in Having E-Poll Books Evaluated and Tested for Certification
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced the launch of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program which will evaluate and test the security, accessibility, and usability of these systems across the country. Electronic poll books, or e-poll books, are designed to replace paper poll lists accessing digital voter registration records on a laptop or tablet and represent a key component of critical election infrastructure.
The program is registering both commercial and in-house manufacturers interested in having their e-poll books evaluated and tested by the EAC’s Voting System Test Laboratories (VSTLs) for certification. States and jurisdictions may decide whether to participate in this voluntary program, which is expected to begin in summer 2024. Interested parties can register to participate online.
In a joint statement, EAC Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks, and Commissioner Christy McCormick said:
“The Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program will help give election officials and voters peace of mind knowing their e-poll books have been evaluated and tested for security, accessibility, and usability. It is responsive to the feedback we received from Congress and stakeholders about the need for additional layers of security for this technology. The program highlights the EAC's unique position at the federal level to test and create standards that states and jurisdictions can opt into if desired. The EAC also wants to make it clear that the current e-poll books in use in over 2,200 jurisdictions are secure and ready for the 2024 elections.”
The program launch follows a successful pilot program during which two VSTLs tested e-poll book devices from five commercial manufacturers and two in-house developers between January and August 2023. The pilot 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 adopted baseline standards.
Mark Wlaschin, Deputy Secretary of State for Elections in Nevada, and pilot participant, Scott Jarrett, Director of Elections in Maricopa County, Arizona highlighted the importance of having a federal e-poll book certification program when they testified during the EAC’s Virtual Meeting on the Voluntary E-Poll Book Pilot Program Report in November 2023:
“If you’re participating in a federal certification program, you are getting that expertise through voting system testing laboratories coming in-house and doing that same type of testing, and then using those known baseline standards. I view that as a huge advantage to local jurisdictions to be able to participate in a program like this,” said Scott Jarrett, Director of Elections in Maricopa County, Arizona.
“While election administrators are focusing on list maintenance and supporting voter outreach in education, the ability to point to a series of recommended guidelines that are put together by the team at the EAC, and the many subject matter experts and technical experts that the EAC involves, takes a little bit of the burden off states to come up with something very similar... This allows us to focus on other responsibilities,” said Mark Wlaschin, Deputy Secretary of State for Elections in Nevada.
E-poll books are the first technology to be evaluated and tested by the federal agency’s Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP), which EAC Commissioners voted to formally adopt as a permanent part of the EAC in December 2023. Under the authority of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the EAC created ESTEP to establish requirements and guidelines specific to election technologies that are not covered under the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). This includes e-poll books, electronic ballot delivery systems, election night reporting systems, and voter registration portals and databases.
Supporting administrative guidelines are available in the ESTEP Program Manual to assist manufacturers and VSTLs with adherence to program expectations. More information is available at eac.gov/estep.
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). It is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, accurate, and accessible elections by developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. The EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as administers the use of HAVA funds. For more information, visit www.eac.gov.