The bill, introduced by Representative Rush Holt (D. NJ) to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002, passed the Committee on House Administration following a series of hearings on e-voting issues. The legislation now moves on to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

“This is the beginning of a much-needed legislative process to address the many security, reliability, accessibility, and usability issues facing the electorate from e-voting systems,” said Simons. “The approved legislation acknowledges the standards set by USACM to protect the accuracy and impartiality of the electoral process. We have emphasized the need for all voting systems – particularly computer-based electronic voting systems – to embody careful engineering, strong safeguards, and rigorous testing in both their design and operation. We have also urged that voting systems enable each voter to inspect a physical (e.g., paper) record to verify that his or her vote has been accurately cast and to serve as an independent check on the result produced and stored by the system.”

Simons cited testimony before the House committee by USACM members David Wagner and Edward Felten that offered ways to ensure that our voting systems accurately collect and count votes. “We are pleased that the Congress has provided an opportunity for open debate and consideration of an issue we view as critical to the integrity of the election process,” she said.