Federal Voting Systems Standards and Guidelines: Congressional Deliberations (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Aug. 24, 2005 |
| Report Number |
RS21156 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Eric A. Fischer, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
This report discusses deliberations and issues relating to the Federal Election Commission's
(FEC)
Voluntary Voting System Standards (VSS) and their replacement, the Voluntary Voting System
Guidelines (VVSG). States, not the federal government, regulate the voting technologies they use.
However, in response to concerns raised in the 1970s and 1980s about the then largely unregulated
voting technology industry, Congress funded development by the FEC of voluntary standards for
computer-based voting systems but did not establish them specifically by statute. Legislation
directing the FEC to perform a study on the VSS was enacted in 1979. The study was released in
1984. The VSS themselves were approved in 1990. They were developed for both hardware and
software and included functional and documentation requirements, performance characteristics, and
testing procedures. A certification program was established in 1994 by National Association of State
Election Directors (NASED). It used independent testing authorities (ITAs) to evaluate hardware
and software. Most states have adopted the VSS in whole or in part. Some may nevertheless have
older voting systems in use that have not been certified, such as paper ballots, lever machines, and
some older computer-based systems. An update of the VSS was completed in 2002. The Help
America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA, P.L. 107-252 ) codified the standards, now called guidelines, and
provides a mechanism for regular updating of them by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
established by the act. The EAC is also responsible for administering voluntary certification of
voting systems by independent testing laboratories, replacing the NASED program. HAVA also
gives the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) a substantial advisory role in the
development of the VVSG and accreditation of testing laboratories. This report will be updated in
response to relevant events. See also CRS Report RS20898 , Elections Reform: Overview and
Issues .
