Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Electronic Poll Books

Simply defined, electronic poll books, commonly known as e-poll books or EPBs, are laptops, tablets, or kiosks designed to replace paper poll lists and access digital voter registration records for their respective jurisdiction. In contrast to a voting system, EPBs are primarily used by election workers. Unlike voting systems, EPBs 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.

This is a federal testing and certification program administered by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Under this program, representatives from the EAC and EAC-accredited test laboratories evaluate electronic poll books against three tiers of federal requirements:

• Functionality
• Security
• Accessibility

The Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program was adopted by EAC Commissioners on April 8, 2024. The EAC announced the official launch of this program on May 21, 2024, marking an exciting milestone in the history of federal testing and certification of election technology.

No. Participation in the EAC's Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program is voluntary. However, some states may require or recognize EAC certification as part of their own certification or approval process.

Manufacturers that choose to participate must comply with the procedures outlined in the Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program Manual. Additional information about state certification requirements is available on the State Certification Requirements for Electronic Poll Books webpage.

Federal testing and certification can:

• Improve the voter experience. Electronic poll books are evaluated against federal requirements for functionality, security, and accessibility to help promote systems that are reliable, usable, and accessible.
• Provide a consistent evaluation framework. All participating systems are evaluated against the same federal requirements, promoting consistency across manufacturers and EAC-accredited test laboratories.
• Support election officials. Federal requirements and independent testing provide election officials with an additional resource when evaluating electronic poll books for state certification or procurement.
• Reduce the burden on manufacturers. A common set of federal requirements helps manufacturers design and test their systems against one consistent evaluation framework, reducing the need to navigate different technical expectations across jurisdictions.
• Increase transparency. The EAC provides public updates throughout the certification process, from application submission through the final certification decision, on the Electronic Poll Books Certified and Under Test webpage. This helps election officials, manufacturers, and the public track a system's progress and access certification documents once testing is complete.

No. The EAC's Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program is intended to complement, not replace, state certification and approval processes. While the EAC provides a voluntary federal testing and certification program, each state determines its own requirements for approving or purchasing electronic poll books. Election officials should consult their state's election laws and certification requirements for additional guidance.

Participation in this program is open to any organization that manufactures or develops electronic poll books for purchase or use in the United States, whether commercially or in-house.

Manufacturers must:

• Contact [email protected] to schedule a Manufacturer Intake Meeting with the EAC (one-time only).
• Complete, submit, and receive approval for their Manufacturer Registration (one-time only).
• Conduct a preliminary Test Readiness Review.
• Complete, submit, and receive approval for their Application Package.

Manufacturers should visit eac.gov/epb to check out the Quick-Start Guide for Manufacturers and access all program resources before getting started.

Yes. The EAC's Voting System Testing and Certification Program is separate from the EAC's Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program. Manufacturers already registered under the EAC's voting system program must still complete ESTEP registration requirements before participating in the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program.

Manufacturers should visit eac.gov/epb to check out the Quick-Start Guide for Manufacturers and access all program resources before getting started.

Yes. Manufacturers are encouraged to engage with the EAC early in the process. The EAC can help answer questions about documentation completeness, testing readiness, and certification expectations before a formal Application Package is submitted. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Yes. Manufacturers may indicate their preferred EAC-accredited test laboratory when submitting their Application Package. The manufacturer is responsible for contacting the selected laboratory and arranging a contract for testing.

If a laboratory is unavailable or has a high testing workload, the EAC may assign the system to another EAC-accredited test laboratory.

Not necessarily. Some requirements are tagged as "If Applicable." If a system includes a feature covered by an "If Applicable" requirement and the manufacturer intends to market that feature, the requirement should be included within the scope of testing and evaluated for conformance. Requirements that do not apply to the submitted system may be designated as "not applicable" as part of the certification process.

The Scope of Testing identifies:

• Which requirements will be evaluated during testing
• Which requirements do not apply to the submitted system

The scope helps the EAC and the EAC-accredited test laboratory determine what must be evaluated during certification activities.

Requirements marked "Documentation Required" must be supported by documentation submitted as part of the certification process. This documentation helps the EAC and the EAC-accredited test laboratory verify that the requirement has been met.

Manufacturers should:

• Identify all requirements marked "Documentation Required" that are within the scope of testing.
• Submit all documentation that clearly demonstrates how each requirement is met.
• Reference the document title and page(s) in the VEPBCR Test Readiness Review & Testing Matrix for each affected requirement to help reviewers locate the supporting evidence.

Note: A "Documentation Required" tag does not mean that documentation alone satisfies the requirement. Depending on the requirement, the EAC-accredited test laboratory may also perform physical testing, functional testing, inspections, or other evaluation activities to verify compliance with the requirements.

Sometimes. If a requirement is designated both "If Applicable" and "Documentation Required," manufacturers should provide the associated document when claiming that requirement within the scope of testing. The Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements and the VEPBCR Test Readiness Review & Testing Matrix (Excel download) identify these requirements.

Yes. The Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements (VEPBCR) includes usability testing requirements designed to evaluate electronic poll book operation by both users in the "election worker" and "voter" roles. Manufacturers are responsible for providing evidence of compliance with these requirements as part of the certification process.

No. Manufacturers may choose the organization that conducts their usability testing, provided the testing satisfies the applicable program requirements and reporting expectations.

Not automatically. Manufacturers are responsible for demonstrating compliance with applicable hardware and safety requirements. Existing certifications may help demonstrate compliance where appropriate, but supporting evidence must still be provided.

The EAC classifies submissions based on the scope of changes being introduced:

• New System - A system that has not previously been certified by the EAC. New systems undergo comprehensive testing and evaluation to ensure they meet the latest version of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Requirements (VEPBCR).
• Modification - An update to a system that has already been certified by the EAC. Modifications may affect the system's functionality, security, or accessibility. These updates require review and testing to confirm that the system continues to meet certification requirements. While modifications require formal evaluation, they generally involve less testing than a new system.
• Minor Change - A limited update to a certified system that does not substantially affect how the system functions. Minor changes are reviewed by the EAC to ensure continued compliance. However, they typically require little or no additional testing.

The EAC evaluates each submission individually to determine the appropriate classification and testing requirements. Manufacturers should contact the EAC if they are uncertain how a planned update should be classified.

The EAC maintains two separate lists for:

• ESTEP's Registered Manufacturers - Organizations that have completed the manufacturer registration process and are eligible to submit electronic poll books for testing under ESTEP's Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program.
• Electronic Poll Books Certified & Under Test - Individual electronic poll book systems that have either been certified by the EAC or are currently undergoing testing.

Important Note: Manufacturer registration does not indicate that a system has been certified. Certification is granted only to individual systems once they have successfully completed the testing and certification process.

There are several ways to verify whether an electronic poll book has been certified by the EAC:

• Visiting the Electronic Poll Books Certified & Under Test webpage.
• Reviewing the system's Certificate of Conformance and Scope of Certification (see an example here).
• Requesting a copy of the Certificate and Scope of Certification from the manufacturer.

These resources help election officials confirm that they are purchasing or using the specific system configuration that was certified by the EAC.

All resources needed for the program can be located on eac.gov/epb under "ESTEP Electronic Poll Book Resources." Resources are organized into two categories:

• Certification Resources - Everything you need to verify a system's certification status or participate in the EAC's Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program.
• Informational Resources - Educational resources about electronic poll books, including guidance, state information, procurement resources, historical program information, and frequently asked questions.

If you have questions about the program or certification process, please contact the EAC's Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program at [email protected]. We're happy to answer your questions and help get you started.