Feds OK pair of e-voting test labs
Two Colorado-based laboratories on Wednesday became the first to receive final federal approval to test electronic voting machines for use by American voters.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the agency with sole responsibility for accrediting such labs and certifying voting equipment, gave its seal of approval to iBeta Quality Assurance of Aurora, Colo. and SysTest Labs of Denver.
"With these two voting system test labs on board, we will begin the process of testing voting equipment to ensure that these systems meet all of the requirements to ensure accurate and reliable elections," EAC chairwoman Donetta Davidson said in a statement.
The two labs had already been recommended last month by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which said it determined after a "comprehensive technical evaluation" that the labs were qualified to test the equipment. The EAC said it then did an "independent review" that focused on non-technical issues, such as the labs' conflict-of-interest policies, organizational structure and record-keeping practices.
A 2002 federal law called the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which dictated a national shift to electronic voting machines, requires EAC and NIST are to collaborate on accrediting voting system test laboratories. HAVA lets states decide whether they ultimately want to pay attention to the EAC accreditations, but many are expected to enact such requirements.
The competence of one major voting system test lab, which now awaits a reassessment by the EAC, has been called into question recently. A New York Times report last January revealed that Ciber, the largest tester of voting-machine software, had been temporarily barred by the EAC from conducting such reviews because of irregularities in its procedures. Some computer scientists criticized the agency for not disclosing the episode sooner and said it raised broader questions, they said, about the reliability of voting systems previously tested by the lab. The EAC has defended its actions and its accreditation program, saying it strives to be as transparent as possible.
