It has been suggested that, since the Vote-PAD makes use of a tape player and verification wand, it is subject to testing against the Federal Voting System Standards. However the Introduction to the Standards specifically says that the standards were developed to aid the states in evaluating "complex voting system technology" and "computer-based systems." The Vote-PAD is neither.

The relevant paragraph from the 2002 Federal Voting System Standards Introduction is quoted below (highlighting added):

State and local officials today are confronted with increasingly complex voting system technology and an increased risk of voting system failure. Responding to calls for assistance from the states, the United States Congress authorized the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to develop voluntary national voting systems standards for computer-based systems. The resulting FEC Voting System Standards ("the Standards") seek to aid state and local election officials in ensuring that new voting systems are designed to function accurately and reliably, thus ensuring the system's integrity.

The Standards themselves support this description of their purpose. For example, the only section in the Voting System Standards that applies to accessibility is Section 2.2.7. Section 2.2.7.1 addresses only the physical accessibility of the voting station. Section 2.2.7.2 is entitled "DRE Standards." The section begins by saying, "DRE voting systems shall provide ... " This section, by its own wording, cannot apply to the Vote-PAD. In fact, there are no federal standards that address the accessibility of voting equipment other than Direct Record Electronic voting systems.

The Vote-PAD is not a computer-based system. Preparation of the device for an election does not even require the use of a computer. The Excel macros that compose the Instruction Assistant are offered as an optional method of preparing the instructions. They are not integral to the system, nor are they necessary for its full operation.

The Wisconsin State Elections Board agrees that Vote-PAD is not subject to the VSS in a letter dated March 23, 2006 to the Wisconsin municipal clerks from Kevin Kennedy, Executive Director of the Board.

The Vote-PAD is qualitatively different from the complex, computer-based systems normally submitted to states for approval, and while many states require NASED certification for computer-based voting systems, it is clearly impossible for the Vote-PAD to meet the standards defined in a document that does not apply to the Vote-PAD and, by its own words, was not intended to apply to the Vote-PAD.

The Vote-PAD was developed in cooperation with people with dexterity impairments and people with visual impairments, whose advice and suggestions we gratefully included in the design.

Patent Pending
Copyright © 2006-2007 Vote-PAD, Inc.