2007 VVSG-OF

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3.2.2.1-F Notification of ballot casting failure (DRE)

If the voter takes the appropriate action to cast a ballot, but the system does not accept and record it successfully, including failure to store the ballot image, then the DRE SHALL so notify the voter and provide clear instruction as to the steps the voter should take to cast the ballot.

Applies To: DRE

Test Reference: Part 3: 3.2 “Functional Testing”

DISCUSSION

If a DRE fails at the point of casting a ballot, it must clearly indicate to the voter and to election officials responding to the failure whether or not the ballot was cast. Otherwise, election officials may be unable to provide substantial confirmation that the vote was or was not counted, possibly resulting in disenfranchisement or the casting of two ballots by a single voter.

A device that "freezes" when the voter attempts to cast the ballot, providing no evidence one way or the other whether the ballot was cast, would violate this requirement.

Source: 2002 VSS I.2.4.3.3.k / VVSG'05 I.2.3.3.3.m

Unverifiable

Richard Carback (Academic, Computer Science) on 01.25.08 at 3:32pm

How can you verify that the system can always do this? What if there is a hardware
failure? For example, what if the screen fails and goes black?

How long is a "freeze"? If it sticks for a second or two, does that
constitute a "freeze"?

I feel that this requirement is untestable and unattainable. It would be better to
require that machines have logic that indicates failure (e.g. a blue screen of
death that does not say "YOUR VOTE WAS NOT COUNTED" would fail the
test, as would a system who's screen went blank and did not have logic to BEEP or
turn an LED RED to indicate machine failure). Also, partially completed ballots
should not be added to the total (as, we assume, if it dies mid-way, a voter uses
another machine).

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