Election Notice:  Election Night Returns
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Election Advisory No. 2019-18

To: County Election Officers
From: Keith Ingram, Director of Elections
 Keith Ingram's signature
Date: October 1, 2019
RE:

Initial Draft of Certification Procedures for Electronic Pollbooks

In accordance with House Bill 4130 (86th Legislature, 2019) the Texas Secretary of State shall prescribe specific requirements and standards for the certification of an electronic device used to accept voters under Chapter 63 of the Texas Election Code.

To meet this requirement, the Secretary of State has prescribed three separate documents outlining the proposed certification process.

  1. Texas Certification Procedures for Electronic Pollbooks (PDF): This document outlines the application requirements, certification process, and timeline for completion of the initial certification. It also contains information regarding modifications to certified electronic pollbooks and the timeline for the SOS to modify or amend electronic pollbook standards.

  2. Texas Functional Testing Matrix for Electronic Pollbooks (PDF): This document outlines the functional requirements of the electronic pollbook. This chart will be completed by employee examiners and utilized by the Texas Secretary of State’s office in reviewing electronic pollbook functionality.

  3. Texas Technical Testing Matrix for Electronic Pollbooks (PDF): This document outlines the technical requirements of the electronic pollbook. This chart will be completed by a NIST-certified testing lab for completion of a report that will be provided to the Texas Secretary of State’s office for consideration in making a determination on certification of a given electronic pollbook.

Public Comment Period

These documents are currently in draft form. We will be accepting comments from the public for a period of 10 days. The public comment period will end on October 10, 2019. We encourage all interested parties to review the documents and submit comments in writing. Additionally, comments may be provided via mail at Elections Division, Secretary of State, P.O. Box 12060, Austin, Texas 78711-2060.

At the end of the public comment period, the Secretary of State will modify the proposed procedures as appropriate and provide a final version of the rules through an election law advisory.

Please contact us at 1-800-252-VOTE(8683) or by email if you have any questions.

KI:CA