U.S. EAC Certifies New Dominion Voting System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 8, 2017
U.S. EAC Certifies New Dominion Voting System
Democracy Suite 5.0 Meets Voluntary Voting System Guidelines v. 1.0
Silver Spring, Md. – The Election Assistance Commission today certified that Dominion Voting’s Democracy Suite 5.0 voting system meets current federal voting system standards. The determination came after a thorough review campaign conducted by Pro V&V, the EAC’s newest voting system testing lab.
"At a time when the nation’s voting systems are aging and there is a renewed focus on the accessibility, accuracy and security of elections, the EAC is proud to test and certify voting systems so that state and local election officials can confidently purchase new equipment that meets federal requirements," said Brian Hancock, Director of the Election Assistance Commission’s Voting System Testing and Certification program.
Democracy Suite 5.0 has the capability of serving voters who speak nine languages, including Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Thai. It is also designed to provide accessibility to voters with disabilities, include those who are blind or hearing impaired. It is a paper-based system that also has electronic voting capabilities.
Democracy Suite 5.0 is the second full Dominion Voting System certified as meeting federal standards and the ninth overall Dominion certified system, including modifications. This system meets the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 1.0 (VVSG 1.0) that were established in 2005. Including the Democracy 5.0 voting system, this is the sixth full voting systems certification and the 33rd overall certification completed by the EAC. Out of the six full certifications, the Dominion Democracy Suite 5.0 voting system was the most efficient process, completing the full certification in just over 9 months.
Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the EAC’s Testing and Certification program, which is the most successful and most implemented voting machine testing and certification program in the nation. The Testing and Certification program was a requirement of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, legislation that created the EAC and mandated that the commission provide certification, decertification, and recertification of voting systems, as well as the accreditation of voting system testing laboratories. This marked the first time the federal government assumed responsibility for these activities, a step that allowed states to procure new certified voting systems without the added expense of independent testing and certification.
At least 47 states now use the EAC’s Testing and Certification program in some way when deciding which voting system to procure, and over the past decade, it has handled 58 certification campaigns in coordination with 15 voting system vendors.
"State and local election leaders have a growing list of responsibilities, so we are pleased to play a vital role in helping them to make informed and smart decisions about which voting systems to procure," Hancock concluded. "This is a perfect example of how the EAC’s work supports state and local election officials, as well as the voters they serve."
Additionally, the EAC is currently partnering with a diverse working group comprised of representatives from the election community, public sector, private sector and interest groups to develop the next iteration of the guidelines, VVSG 2.0. These new system testing guidelines are expected to be released in 2018 and will become the highest standard against which voting systems can be commercially tested in the United States.
For more information about today’s announcement, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at [email protected] or 301-563-3951. You can learn more about the EAC’s Testing and Certification program at www.eac.gov.
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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. 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.