Standards Board Meeting June 17th, 2021

Testing & Certification Topics

U.S. Election 

Assistance 

Commission 
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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VVSG Lifecycle Policy
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Release by Fall 2021, to coincide with 

implementation of VVSG 2.0

• Will provide guidance on

• Deprecation of obsolete standards

• VVSG update cadence

• Versioning of future standards

Lifecycle Policy – Core Elements
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Currently, existing VVSG 1.0 certified systems 

may be modified without significant bounds

• New systems must be submitted against VVSG 

1.1, which has not happened since its adoption

• It’s critical to move to VVSG 2.0 without 

stranding users of VVSG 1.0 certified systems

VVSG Standard Deprecation
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Allow modifications to currently certified systems indefinitely 

with a narrowed definition of what is allowed in a modification

• Allow modifications to currently certified systems indefinitely 

with no changes to the definition of a modification

• Deprecate obsolete standards approximately 12 months after 

certification of the first voting system to VVSG 2.0

• Deprecate obsolete standards approximately 24 months after 

at least one VSTL is accredited to test against VVSG 2.0

VVSG Standard Deprecation Options
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Regular updates to the VVSG are essential 

for the standard to be agile and responsive

• Small number of changes per update

• Program manuals will not necessarily 

follow the same cadence

VVSG Update Cadence
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Updates during this regular cycle may 

include RFIs, NOCs, errata, as well as 

requirements

• EAC proposes an update cycle of 18 or 24 

months

VVSG Update Cadence
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Frequent updates to VVSG may have significant 

implications

• Feedback on which of the following versioning 

schemas allow states the greatest flexibility:

• Utilizing a minor version: VVSG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, etc.

• Utilizing a revision: VVSG 2.0 revision 1, revision 2, etc.

• When backwards compatibility cannot be maintained, 

the version will be updated to VVSG 3.0

VVSG Configuration Management
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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Testing & Certification v3.0 Manual 

Enhancements
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Component testing pilot program

• Penetration testing as part of the test 

readiness review

• Phase I - pre-testing assessment

• Phase II – penetration test by VSTL

Program Manual v3.0 Enhancements
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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The Testing & Certification manual will be updated 

to version 3.1 soon to add the following:

• Essential patent claims disclosure

• Ownership disclosures

• Requirement to disclose reduced from 51% to 25% 

ownership 

• Both direct and indirect ownership is now specified

• RFI and NOC incorporation

Manual Changes Coming Soon – v3.1
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Additions to manufacturer agreements

• Supply chain risk management strategy

• Information regarding security testing performed 

outside EAC program

• Cooperation with EAC inquiries, requests for 

information, and requests to attend official 

meetings and hearings

Manual Changes Coming Soon - v3.1
U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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• Additions to manufacturer agreements cont’d

• Report all fielded voting systems, not just EAC 

certified

• Participate in monitoring program established by 

the EAC during elections

• Shall not convey EAC registration constitutes 

endorsement

Manual Changes Coming Soon - v3.1
Questions?

U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov
Where to Find EAC Information

U.S. Election Assistance Commission | www.eac.gov

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