Requirements for New of Voting Systems
California Elections Code section 19201 provides that, “No voting system, in whole or in part, shall be used unless it has received the approval of the Secretary of State prior to any election at which it is to be first used.”
Prior to considering any new voting system for approval, or any modification to a currently approved voting system, the Secretary of State conducts a thorough examination and review of the proposed system that includes:
- Review of the application and documentation of the system;
- End-to-end functional examination and testing of the system;
- Volume testing under election-like conditions of the system and/or all voting devices with which the voter directly interacts;
- Security testing that includes a full source code review and penetration (red-team) testing of the system;
- Accessibility examination and testing of the system; and
- Public hearing and public comment period.
