Test Development for Voting Systems

NIST Draft Voting System Test Suites for VVSG-NI

The draft test suites are now open for public review and comment. NIST is interested in and greatly appreciates comments from individuals who can review the test suites and provide specific feedback. The test suites are highly technical in nature and assume some knowledge of testing, voting standards, and many other voting system-related issues. For readers who are more interested in summary and background information about voting system testing and the test suites, please consult the pages located at

http://www.nist.gov/itl/vote/systemtesting.cfm

General comments about the test suites can also be sent to

voting@nist.gov

Overview for Reviewers

The test suites are written for the voting system requirements in the "Voluntary Voting System Guidelines Recommendations to the Election Assistance Commission - TGDC Version for Fall 2007 Public Review," otherwise known as the VVSG-NI for "Next Iteration." They are NOT necessarily applicable to the VVSG 2005 or the VVSG 2005 revision that is in progress. Each test suite addresses a subset of the VVSG-NI requirements, such as usability and accessibility, security and audit architecture, vote variations, and hardware workmanship.

General Reviewing Guidelines

Please send comments on the test suites by July 1, 2009. You may provide comments directly in email and/or send attachments in MS-Word or PDF. If you wish, you may also embed your comments within the PDF documentation using the instructions provided here. In general, please tell us the features you like and provide us with comments, corrections, and suggestions on how to improve the test suites.

Test suite reviewers are advised to first read and understand the VVSG-NI especially the sections relevant to the test suites under review, before reviewing the test suites. Please provide the following items:

• Test suite version number (found in the test suite documentation)
• Your name and affiliation (include contact information if desired)
• Identification of the particular tests and requirements in the VVSG-NI for which your comment applies
• If including suggestions for changes to the tests, a description of the suggested change including an adequate justification for the change, or a draft replacement for the test including the justification and any other necessary documentation or commentary

All comments will be considered. After all comments have been received and incorporated into the test suites, a new version of test suites will be posted on the NIST website.

Test Suites

The pages below contain links to the test suites, including test suite-specific notes to readers/reviewers and specific email addresses for reviewer comments.

• Core Requirements:
• • Additional Guidance on Volume Testing
  • EMC Test Suite (will be available May 2009
  • Hardware Workmanship Test Suite
  • Votetest Core Requirements Test Suite
    
    
• Human Factors:
• • Usability and Accessibility Test Suite
  • Modified CIF Template for Voting System Test Laboratories
  • Guidelines on how to complete the Modified CIF Template for Voting System Manufacturers
  • Guidelines on how to complete the Modified CIF Template for Voting System Test Laboratories
    
    
• Security:
• • Security Test Suite
  • Other:
  • Source Code Analyzer Tool Assessment Guide and Test Suite