What are voting system standards?
Voting system standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications to be used consistently as guidelines to ensure that punchcard, marksense, and direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems are accurate and secure. The standards include functional criteria (things that any voting equipment must do) along with technical requirements for: hardware, software, security, quality assurance, and documentation. The standards also include testing procedures to ensure that voting systems meet these requirements. Note that the standards address only what a voting system should do, not how the system should do it. The standards are not intended to impede the design and development of new, innovative voting equipment. Nor are they intended to drive the prices of voting equipment out of the range of local jurisdictions.
