About the Program
In May 2024, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced the launch of the nation's first Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program at the federal level. This program was established under the EAC’s Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) following the successful conclusion of a pilot in 2023, in which seven e-poll books were evaluated by EAC-accredited test laboratories against drafted requirements. The goal of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program is to ensure that electronic poll books used across various jurisdictions are secure, accessible, reliable, and capable of supporting the dynamic needs of modern elections.
This program is open to any organization that manufactures or develops electronic poll books for purchase or use in the United States, including commercial or homegrown systems. Participation is entirely voluntary, but those who wish to participate must conform to the program’s procedural requirements.
Program at a Glance
The EAC registers electronic poll book manufacturers and evaluates their systems for federal certification. Registration applies to the manufacturer, while certification applies to their systems.
- Registered Manufacturers are those approved to participate in the program. Registration does not automatically mean that their systems have been EAC-certified.
- Certified Systems are electronic poll books that have successfully completed testing and received EAC certification.
- Systems Under Test are electronic poll books that are currently being evaluated and have not yet received EAC certification.
What are Electronic Poll Books?
“Equipment (including hardware, firmware, and software), materials, and documentation used to partially automate the process of checking in voters, assigning voters the correct ballot style, and marking off voters who have been issued a ballot.” (VEPBCR V1.0)
Simply defined, electronic poll books (EPBs) are laptops, tablets, or kiosks designed to replace paper poll lists that access digital voter registration records for their representative jurisdiction. In contrast to a voting system, EPBs’ primary users are election workers and do not collect or tabulate cast vote records. EPBs were initially designed in an effort to automate the election process and alleviate the burden on election workers, who update voter registration records and evaluate a voter’s eligibility to participate in the election process. In recent years, these systems have evolved to serve a variety of administrative functions before, during, and after an election. EPBs can now be used to capture voter signatures, identify a voter’s ballot style or preferred language, detect ineligible voters, and extract data reports.
ESTEP Electronic Poll Book (EPB) Resources
Certification Resources
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Informational Resources
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Preparing for Certification: A Quick-Start Guide for Manufacturers
Before pursuing certification, manufacturers should familiarize themselves with the ESTEP Program and certification requirements.
Review the following key program documents:
- Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) Manual: This manual outlines the full lifecycle of a test campaign, including procedural requirements to participate and maintain certification.
- Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements (VEPBCR): Establishes the baseline functionality, security, and accessibility standards that electronic poll books must meet in order to achieve certification.
Contact the EAC via [email protected] to request a Manufacturer Intake Meeting. This meeting is the recommended first step for manufacturers considering certification.
During this discussion, the EAC will:
- Learn about your system
- Explain the certification process
- Discuss testing expectations
- Identify documentation requirements
- Highlight common issues that can delay testing
- Answer technical and procedural questions
Manufacturers are encouraged to demonstrate their system and discuss any unique capabilities or implementation considerations during this meeting.
Manufacturers must register with the EAC before submitting any products for testing. Registration only needs to be completed once. Once approved, the EAC will issue a unique 3-letter manufacturer identification code and add the manufacturer to the ESTEP Registered Manufacturers webpage.
The following pieces of documentation should be submitted to [email protected].
- ESTEP Manufacturer Registration Form
- Supporting documentation highlighting written internal policies, including:
- Quality Assurance
- Controlling Software & Version Changes
- Document Retention
Important Note: Keep your registration information current; updates are required within 30 days of any changes.
Before testing can begin, manufacturers must ensure their systems are fully prepared for evaluation. Manufacturers should complete the VEPBCR 1.0 Test Readiness and Testing Matrix (Excel download). This helps both the manufacturer and the EAC identify gaps before formal testing begins by ensuring that:
- All required documentation exists and can easily be found (if applicable)
- All "if applicable" requirements are either marked as under the scope of testing or deemed not applicable
- The system is ready to enter testing
Once the Manufacturer Registration and Preliminary Test Readiness Review have been completed, manufacturers can submit their full Application Package to the EAC. The EAC reviews the submission for completeness and may request clarification or additional documentation before approving the package for certification.
The submission includes:
- ESTEP Application for Participation Form
- Completed VEPBCR 1.0 Test Readiness and Testing Matrix (Excel download)
- Your preferred EAC-accredited test laboratory
- All technical documentation associated with your system, including:
- Accessibility capabilities
- System limits & device capacities
- Functional diagrams
- Coding conventions
- List of jurisdictions that use the system
- Training materials
- Documentation requirements outlined in VEPBCR v1.0
Once the Application Package is approved, the project advances through the remaining certification phases:
- Test Readiness Review (by the test laboratory)
- Penetration Testing
- Test Plan
- Test Execution
- Test Report
- Certification Decision
Visit the EPBs Certified and Under Test webpage to learn more about the certification process.
Program Videos & Testimonials
Questions? Contact Us!
Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program | [email protected]
Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program | [email protected]