Government
First two labs accredited for voting machine testing
iBeta and SysTest approved in long-awaited accreditation process. Three manufacturers register to submit systems, but none have yet been offered.
iBeta Software Quality Assurance and SysTest Labs have become the first labs to be accredited to test voting equipment against federal standards, Government Computer News reports.
The Election Assistance Commission, which accredited the labs, first produced guidelines in 2005.
“For the first time, the federal government is in the business of testing and certifying voting equipment and software,” EAC chairwoman Donetta Davidson said in a written statement.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program recommended accreditation based on technical issues. The EAC gave final approval.
While no systems have been submitted for approval, three companies have registered to submit systems: Unisyn Voting Solutions, Diebold and Dominion Voting Systems.
Although the labs will examine source code, no code will be publicly available. That would be a violation of the Trade Secrets Act.