[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 27016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11443]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 110425262-1258-02]
Evaluating Test Procedures for Voting Systems
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: NIST is soliciting interest in supplying voting equipment used
in an election in 2008 or later and/or certified (or submitted for
certification) by the Election Assistance Commission for use by NIST in
research to develop and assess NIST's test procedures for voting
equipment. Manufacturers interested in participating in this research
will be asked to execute a Letter of Understanding. Interested parties
are invited to contact NIST for information regarding participation,
Letters of Understanding and shipping.
DATES: Manufacturers who wish to participate in the program must submit
a request and an executed Letter of Understanding by 5 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time on July 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Letters of Understanding may be obtained from and should be
submitted to Benjamin Long, National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Software and Systems Division, Building 222, Room B306, 100
Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8970, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8970. Letters of
Understanding may be faxed to: Benjamin Long at (301) 975-6097.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For shipping and further information,
you may telephone Benjamin Long at (301) 975-2816, or e-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the provisions of the
Help America Vote Act (Pub. L. 107-252), the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) will be conducting research on voting
equipment used in an election in 2008 or later and/or certified (or
submitted for certification) by the Election Assistance Commission to
develop and assess NIST test protocols for voting equipment. NIST
research is designed to: (1) Develop advanced test protocols, (2)
validate test protocols, and (3) support additional research and test
protocol development for next generation voluntary voting system
guidelines. NIST may also examine relevant instructions, documentation,
and error messages, without doing any direct studies thereon.
NIST is soliciting interest in supplying voting equipment used in
an election in 2008 or later and/or certified (or submitted for
certification) by the Election Assistance Commission for use by NIST in
research to develop and assess NIST's test procedures for voting
equipment. Interested manufacturers should contact NIST at the address
given above. NIST will supply a Letter of Understanding, which the
manufacturer must execute and send back to NIST. The Letters of
Understanding will be entered into pursuant to the authorities granted
NIST under 15 U.S.C. 3710a. NIST will then provide the manufacturer
with shipping instructions for the manufacturer's equipment. NIST
anticipates that it will take approximately two years to conduct all
necessary experiments to the equipment. No modification to the
equipment is permitted during the testing process beyond that which is
necessary and sufficient for performing test method validation
activities. Manufacturers should be aware that some of the testing
could damage or destroy the equipment, although NIST expects only
normal wear and tear. NIST may transport equipment to locations off
site from NIST's main campus as required for the purpose of conducting
usability tests. NIST will ensure that all off site benchmark testing
locations have the same or higher level of security and equipment
protection procedures as the on-site NIST labs located in the Voting
System Laboratory in Gaithersburg, MD. At the conclusion of the
experiments, the equipment will be returned to the manufacturer in its
post-testing condition. NIST, the Election Assistance Commission, and/
or the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, will not be
responsible for the condition of the equipment when returned to the
manufacturer. As a condition for participating in this program, each
manufacturer must agree in advance to hold harmless all of these
parties for the condition of the equipment.
Information acquired during the tests regarding potential problems
will be reported to the respective manufacturer. Testing results for
identifiable vendor equipment will not be released subject to the terms
and conditions in the Letters of Understanding. Comparative information
(e.g., testing results from unidentified machine A, B, and C) may be
released in a blind manner. Performance standards, benchmarks and
conformance test procedures will be made publicly available.
Participating manufacturers should include or provide a technical
tutorial on the setup and deployment of the equipment. NIST will pay
all shipping costs except those not permitted by law (such as shipping
insurance, which, if desired, must be purchased by the manufacturer).
Unless the manufacturer desires to pay such shipping insurance costs,
there is no other cost to the manufacturer for the testing.
Voting equipment used in an election in 2008 or later and/or
certified (or submitted for certification) by the Election Assistance
Commission that will be accepted for the experiments may include direct
record electronic systems, optical scan systems, accessible voting
systems, tabulation and reporting systems, ballot-on-demand, or
electronic poll book systems as well as software used for ballot design
and creation.
Dated: May 4, 2011.
Charles H. Romine,
Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-11443 Filed 5-9-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P