Standards Board Newsletter

July 2015 

Volume 2, Issue 2 

Executive Board of the Standards Board

Brad King, IN State, Chair 

Sandi Wesolowski, WI Local, Vice-Chair 

Edgardo Cortés, VA State, Secretary 

Mark Goins, TN State 

Paul Lux, FL Local 

Peggy Nighswonger, WY State 

Gary Poser, MN State 

Jerry Schwarting, SD Local 

Rey Valenzuela, AZ Local 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

1335 E West Highway • Suite 4300 • Silver Spring, MD 20910

www.eac.gov 

Letter from the Chair

Welcome back, TGDC! 
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Standing (L to R): Marc Guthrie, Greg Riddlemoser, Jeramy Gray, McDermot Coutts, Ross Hein, Commissioner 

Matthew Masterson, Robert Giles and Scott Cooper. 

Seated (L to R): David Wagner, Jeremy Epstein, Diane Golden, Mary Brady, Helen Purcell and Linda Lamone. 

Not pictured: Lori Augino and Matt McCullough. 

The momentum to modernize the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines continued this month when the newly 

designated members of the Technical Guidelines Development Committee gathered together in Gaithersburg, 

Maryland. 

During two days of meetings in the “Portrait Room” at the National Institute of Standards at Technology (NIST) 

building, the TGDC members heard presentations from distinguished experts concerning various aspects of 

voting system development and certification. Those topics will be discussed in greater detail later in this 

newsletter. 

But first, we should take a moment to celebrate a great accomplishment: we have now completed the 

organizational phase of our work together and have moved forward into development! 

Each of the four entities created by HAVA (the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the Board of Advisors, the 

Standards Board, and now TGDC) has been revived, reorganized, and is functioning. The foundation has been 

laid for the more painstaking work that lies ahead: a review of the current VVSG, and the adoption of a new 

VVSG to address voting system issues in the years ahead. 

It will be a lengthy journey, but one that offers the opportunity to increase public confidence in the accuracy, 

integrity, and reliability of our voting systems. Let’s enjoy the ride! 
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Brad King, Chair 

Are You Interested in the EAC Clearinghouse? 

Then You Have an Opportunity to Serve. 

During our Williamsburg meeting, the work of the EAC Clearinghouse was the topic of a great deal of 

discussion. Many members had valuable ideas for improving the work and the focus of the Clearinghouse. The 

Standards Board will continue to have a voice as the EAC considers the role that the Clearinghouse plays in 

carrying out the responsibilities and goals of the EAC. At its July meeting, the Executive Board of the Standards 

Board created an EAC Clearinghouse Committee and decided to invite interested Standards Board members to 

serve. 

If you have an interest in the work of the Clearinghouse and can commit some of your time and energy to serve 

as a Clearinghouse Committee member, please send an email to the Designated Federal Officer for the 

Standards Board at CMcCormick@eac.gov. It would be helpful to receive your email before our next scheduled 

Executive Board meeting on August 20. The Board has not determined the number of committee members, but 

will certainly welcome your willingness to participate. Stay tuned. 

TGDC Meets in Gaithersburg to Begin its VVSG Work 

Bob Giles, Standards Board Representative, presents information at TGDC. 

On July 20-21, 2015, the TGDC convened for the first time in several years. 

Greg Riddlemoser, Standards Board representative to the TGDC, described 

the recent meeting as “very productive”, and remarked that it was 

encouraging for him to see “really smart people working really hard to solve 

really hard problems!” 

The TGDC’s agenda began with opening remarks by Dr. Willie E. May, chair 

of NIST, and Commissioner Matt Masterson, the Designated Federal Officer 

for the TGDC. 

EAC staff presented information on EAC goals and the VVSG 1.1 update, 

while representatives from the Bipartisan Policy Center and representatives 

from NASED, the Standards Board, the Board of Advisors, and the Federal 

Voting Assistance Program provided their viewpoints and recommendations 

regarding the process. Speakers presented the “voters’ perspective” on 

usability and accessibility, while Merle King of the Center for Election 

Systems at Kennesaw State University discussed state certification needs. NIST staff, including Mary Brady, 

Manager of NIST Voting Program, offered information on the status of standards development, on EAC 

accessibility grants, system security, and system interoperability. David Becker of the PEW Charitable Trusts 

spoke regarding data sharing programs such as the Voting Information Project and ERIC. 

These presentations prompted extended strategy discussions about how best to proceed with the revision of the 

VVSG. 
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Although a date has not yet been set for the next TGDC meeting, early December 2015 is a possibility. 

For more information about this meeting, including the presentations, see 

http://www.eac.gov/tgdc_meeting_july_20-21_2015/

Standards Board Executive Board Meets July 16; 

Finalizes NIST Letter 

During its monthly conference call, the Executive Board received updates from Board members and our 

Designated Federal Officer. In addition to receiving reports concerning the VVSG Committee and the Bylaws, 

the Executive Board had a thorough discussion of a draft letter to be sent to Dr. May, the Director of NIST. The 

letter expressed appreciation for the involvement of NIST in the development of previous voting system

standards with the TGDC, and for NIST making appointments promptly to revitalize the TGDC. 

The letter also stressed that the TGDC should include non-governmental partners to “improve the speed and 

accuracy” of the work on the VVSG revision. The letter also expressed the need for “the broadest input possible 

from voting system vendors”, noting that while “we know that they have a vested interest in what standards they 

will be asked to meet when creating the next generation of voting systems”, that by the same token, “all of the 

stakeholders have their own interests, and the broader the participation in the process creating them the better 

the standards will be.” 

The letter urged NIST to “maintain a strong partnership with the EAC and its advisory boards”, and to leverage 

the EAC’s relationships with the election community when NIST provides technical advice to the TGDC. 

The full text of the final version of the July 17, 2015 letter can be found at 

http://www.eac.gov/about_the_eac/standards_board.aspx , the Standards Board page on the EAC website. Our 

thanks to Edgardo Cortés and Paul Lux for their work on drafting this letter. 

The Executive Board’s conversation then turned to the EAC Clearinghouse. Members recalled the extensive 

discussion of the work and focus of the Clearinghouse during the Williamsburg meeting, and created an “EAC 

Clearinghouse Committee” of the Standards Board to provide input to the EAC regarding the scope and 

operations of the Clearinghouse. The Board decided to invite the membership to indicate if they would be 

interested in serving on this committee. 

The Board finished its meeting after receiving a report from EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick on the 

upcoming EAC Data Summit, and planned to meet again in August. 

Committee Reports 

Bylaws Committee 

Five Proposed Bylaws Amendments Received

As of the July 15, 2015 submission deadline, five proposed amendments to the Standards Board Bylaws were 

received by the Designated Federal Officer, EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick. Each of these amendments

could be described as either technical in nature, or addressing some of the mechanics of the work of the 

Standards Board. For example, the amendments would update references to our new 2015 federal charter, 

correct mistaken cross-references within the Bylaws, specify the method and schedule to be used to fill mid-term 

vacancies on the Executive Board, and clarify the role of the parliamentarian at Standards Board meetings. 

The next steps will be for the Bylaws Committee to receive and review a report from the EAC General Counsel 

regarding whether or not any proposed change to the Bylaws is consistent with federal law, and then for the 

Committee to transmit a report concerning the proposals to the Executive Board. The Executive Board will then 
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place the report concerning proposed Bylaws amendments on the agenda for the next meeting of the full 

Standards Board, and give written notice of the proposed changes to the entire membership by email and US 

mail, as well as posting the proposed amendments on the EAC’s website at least 30 days before the next

Standards Board meeting. 

If you would like to receive a copy of any of the proposed amendments now, please contact our Designated 

Federal Officer at CMcCormick@eac.gov. 

Our thanks go out to all of you who took the time to review the Standards Board Bylaws to become more familiar 

with the structure which governs our work together. 

Committee Members: 

• Sandi Wesolowski (WI), Local, Chair 

• Maryellen Allen (KY), State 

• Lynn Bailey (GA), Local 

• Jackie Gonzales (WY), Local 

• John Merrill (AL), State 

• Gary Poser (MN), State 

• Howard Sholl, Jr. (DE), Local 

 

Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines (VVSG) Committee 

On July 20-21, 2015, the TGDC convened for the first time in several years. Greg Riddlemoser, Standards 

Board representative to the TGDC, described the recent meeting as “very productive”, and remarked that it was 

encouraging for him to see “really smart people working really hard to solve really hard problems!” 

Technically, this gathering was a “pre-meeting” pending finalization of the appointments of some TGDC 

members. The TGDC’s agenda began with opening remarks by Dr. Willie E. May, chair of NIST, and 

Commissioner Matt Masterson, the Designated Federal Officer for the TGDC. 

EAC staff presented information on EAC goals and the VVSG 1.1 update, while representatives from the 

Bipartisan Policy Center and representatives from NASED, the Standards Board, the Board of Advisors, and the 

Federal Voting Assistance Program provided their viewpoints and recommendations regarding the process.

Speakers presented the “voters’ perspective” on usability and accessibility, while Merle King of the Center for 

Election Systems at Kennesaw State University discussed state certification needs. NIST staff, including Mary 

Brady, Manager of NIST Voting Program, offered information on the status of standards development, on EAC 

accessibility grants, system security, and system interoperability. David Becker of the PEW Charitable Trusts 

spoke regarding data sharing programs such as the Voting Information Project and ERIC. 

These presentations prompted extended strategy discussions about how best to proceed with the revision of the 

VVSG. Bob Giles explained that the TGDC will use public working groups to take a different approach to the 

next version of the TGDC. Under this process, the TGDC will develop a three-part document, consisting first of 

“plain language” Principles to enunciate the core values of the Guidelines. The next part, more detailed 

Standards for voting equipment, will be linked to specific Principles. The final part, the Testing Assertions, will be 

derived from the general Principles and the more detailed Standards. This structure is designed to tie the three 

parts of the new VVSG together, and to provide better tools for ensuring that each part of the VVSG is

consistent and comprehensive, and does not include unnecessary text or unfocused requirements. 

TGDC members are planning to meet again in early December 2015. 
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For more information about this meeting, including the presentations, see 

http://www.eac.gov/tgdc_meeting_july_20-21_2015/

Committee members:

• Paul Lux (FL), Local, Chair 

• Nikki Baines Charlson (MD), State 

• Robert Dezmelyk (NH), Local 

• Lance Gough (IL), Local 

• Keith Ingram (TX), State 

• Brandon Johnson (SD), State 

• Marian Schneider (PA), State 

• A.J. Starling (TN), Local 

• Reynaldo Valenzuela Jr. (AZ), Local 

US EAC Data Summit 

On Wednesday, August 12 and Thursday, August 13, the EAC will convene a “Data Summit” of election 

researchers, state and local election officials, and representatives from non-profit election organizations at 

American University in Washington. The goal of the summit is to identify “How Data Can Help Elections Run 

Better.” The topics for discussion at the Summit will include the accuracy, usefulness, and standardization of 

election data, and practical applications for the election data currently collected. The Summit will also focus on 

planning for the 2016 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), and strategic planning for future EAVS 

surveys. 

It is important for the state and local government members of the Standards Board to have a voice in this 

ongoing discussion. At the next Executive Board meeting, we will receive a report regarding the Data Summit 

and consider how best to ensure that we are involved in shaping the future of EAVS. 

For more information about this event, see 

http://www.eac.gov/eac_election_data_summit_%E2%80%94_how_good_data_can_help_elections_run_better/.

Next Standards Board Meeting Date 

Thanks to several members for your feedback regarding the possible dates for the next meeting of the full 

membership of the Standards Board. The Executive Board certainly appreciates that one or more states will 

have primaries or caucuses which will fall too close to some dates to make it easy (or even possible) for 

members from those states to attend the Standards Board meeting. 

We encourage you to continue to give your input on possible meeting dates (October 2015; January 2016; April 

2016) to help with the preparations that must be completed before any meeting is called. As noted in the last 

newsletter, there are concerns about funding uncertainties at the beginning of the next federal fiscal year 

(October 1, 2015) and winter weather which make it difficult to plan with confidence in assuming that a specific 

date will be practical. 

EAC staff are continuing to research hotel rates and capacity, air fares and routes, and a variety of other factors 

which must be considered in scheduling this meeting, regardless of the date. We will keep you informed as news 

becomes available. 

Announcements 

EAC Data Summit
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• August 12-13, 2015 

• American University School of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 

Executive Board Conference Call

• Thursday, August 20, 2015, 3 p.m. EDT 

Thanks to Amy Miller from the Indiana Secretary of State's office for her assistance with the production of this 

newsletter.