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20 November 2007
[Federal Register: November 19, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 222)]
[Notices]
[Page 65012-65013]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19no07-36]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No.: 070927542-7543-01]
Voting Equipment Evaluations Phase II
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the provisions of the Help America Vote Act
(HAVA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
conducted initial benchmark research (Phase I) on voting equipment used
in the 2004 elections. (See: http://vote.nist.gov/meeting-08172007/
Usability-Benchmarks-080907.doc). NIST is soliciting interest in Phase
II of the benchmark research for voting equipment certified or
submitted for certification to the 2005 Voluntary Voting System
Guidelines. The NIST research is designed to: (1) Determine the
realistic usability benchmarks for current and future voting system
technology to support usability performance standards in next
generation voluntary voting systems standards, and (2) develop
usability test protocols for conformance testing of such standards.
NIST may also examine relevant instructions, documentation and error
messages, without doing any direct usability studies thereon.
Manufacturers interested in participating in Phase II of 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 March 18, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Letters of Understanding may be obtained from and should be
submitted to Allan C. Eustis, National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Information Technology Laboratory Office, Technology
Building 222, Room A328, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8970,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8970. Letters of Understanding may be faxed to:
Allan C. Eustis at (301) 975-6097.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For shipping and further information,
you may telephone Allan C. Eustis at (301) 975-5099, or e-mail:
allan.eustis@nist.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the provisions of the
Help America Vote Act (Pub. L. 107-
[[Page 65013]]
252), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be
conducting Phase II research on voting equipment certified or submitted
for certification to the 2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. NIST
Phase I and NIST Phase II research support Technical Guidelines
Development Committee Resolution 05-05, Human Performance-Based
Standards and Usability Testing, and are designed to: (1) Determine the
realistic usability benchmarks for current voting system technology to
support usability performance standards in next generation voluntary
voting systems standards, and (2) develop usability test protocols for
conformance testing of such standards. NIST may also examine relevant
instructions, documentation and error messages, without doing any
direct usability studies thereon. Phase I provided research for
determining initial benchmarks (see: http://vote.nist.gov/meeting-
08172007/Usability-Benchmarks-080907.doc), and Phase II continues the
research to develop usability test protocols.
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. NIST will then provide
the manufacturer with shipping instructions for the manufacturer's
equipment.
The equipment provided will be returned to the manufacturer after
the NIST experiments, approximately one year from commencement of the
experiments. Manufacturers should be aware that some of the testing
could damage or destroy the equipment, although NIST expects only
normal wear and tear associated with approximately 100 to 1,000 votes
cast on the equipment by simulated voters. At the conclusion of the
experiments, the equipment will be returned to the manufacturer in its
post-testing condition. Neither NIST, nor the Election Assistance
Commission, nor the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, will 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 usability
problems will be reported to the respective manufacturer. Results for
identifiable vendor equipment will not be released. Comparative
information 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, and there is no cost to the manufacturer for the
testing. No modification to the equipment is permitted during the
testing process.
Voting equipment certified or submitted for certification to the
2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines that will be accepted for the
experiments includes Direct Recording Electronic, and Optical Scan
systems and Accessible Voting Systems used to cast and count votes as
well as software used for ballot design and creation.
Dated: November 9, 2007.
Richard F. Kayser,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E7-22570 Filed 11-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P