Section 19209 Of Article 1. Procedures For Certification Of Voting Systems From California Elections Code >> Division 19. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 1.
19209
. (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
the following meanings:
(1) "Commercial off-the-shelf" means mass-produced, readily
available hardware devices, including card readers, printers, or
personal computers, and their firmware or software products,
including operating systems, programming language compilers, or
database management systems.
(2) "Incorrect in part" means a full manual tally of the votes
cast on the pilot system would reveal rates of error in the pilot
system tally that, if extrapolated to the entire contest, would alter
the electoral outcome.
(3) "Partial risk-limiting audit" means a procedure that
guarantees a large minimum chance of a full manual tally of the votes
cast on the pilot system if the electoral outcome is incorrect in
part.
(4) "Risk-limiting audit" means a procedure that ensures a large,
predetermined minimum chance of requiring a full manual tally
whenever a full manual tally would show an electoral outcome that
differs from the outcome reported by the voting system for the
audited contest.
(b) The governing board, without formally adopting a voting
system, may provide for the experimental use of the voting system in
a pilot program held in one or more precincts at a single election
or, in the case of a special election, the special primary election
and the special general election, if the voting system complies with
either of the following:
(1) The voting system is certified or conditionally approved prior
to its experimental use.
(2) The voting system meets all of the following requirements:
(A) Uses only software and firmware with disclosed source code,
except for unmodified commercial off-the-shelf software and firmware.
(B) Meets the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 19101.
(C) Meets the requirements of the regulations adopted by the
Secretary of State pursuant to subdivision (g).
(D) Implements risk-limiting audits.
(c) A voting system that meets all of the requirements of
paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) need not be certified or
conditionally approved prior to its experimental use in a pilot
program if the number of voting system units deployed in the pilot
program is limited to the number necessary to test and demonstrate
the capabilities of the voting system in a limited number of
precincts or locations, including a prudent number of reserve units
to ensure that sufficient working units will be available to conduct
the pilot program. In no event shall the number of voting system
units exceed 50 percent of the estimated number of units that would
be required for full deployment of the voting system at every polling
place and early voting site in a statewide election throughout the
jurisdiction. Capabilities that may be taken into account in
determining the number of voting system units reasonably necessary to
test and demonstrate the capabilities of the voting system include,
but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The capability of the voting system to accommodate voting in
all languages in which the jurisdiction is required to provide
ballots under applicable state and federal laws.
(2) The capability of the voting system to accommodate voting by
persons with a broad range of physical and cognitive disabilities, as
required by applicable state and federal laws.
(3) The current and projected number of voting-eligible
individuals in the jurisdiction.
(4) The geography and distribution of the population in the
jurisdiction.
(d) No later than nine months before the election at which the
pilot program of a voting system is proposed to be conducted, the
governing board shall submit to the Secretary of State a plan for the
pilot program. The Secretary of State shall approve or reject the
plan no later than three months after receipt of the plan.
(e) The votes cast on a voting system during a pilot program
pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be subject to risk-limiting audits.
(1) For each contest conducted entirely on the pilot voting
system, the jurisdiction conducting the pilot program shall conduct a
risk-limiting audit with at least a 90-percent chance of requiring a
full manual tally of the contest whenever a full manual tally would
show an outcome that differs from the outcome reported by the pilot
voting system.
(2) For each contest conducted partially on the pilot voting
system, the jurisdiction conducting the pilot program shall conduct a
partial risk-limiting audit of the portion of the contest in which
the voters cast their votes on the pilot voting system, with at least
a 90-percent chance of requiring a full manual tally of all votes
cast using the pilot voting system whenever the outcome is incorrect
in part.
(3) (A) If a risk-limiting audit of a contest leads to a full
manual tally of all of the ballots cast in the contest, then the
contest outcome according to that manual tally shall become the
official result.
(B) If a partial risk-limiting audit of a contest leads to a full
manual tally of the ballots cast using the pilot voting system, the
vote counts according to that manual tally shall replace the vote
counts reported by the pilot voting system for the purpose of
determining the official contest results.
(4) Risk-limiting audit procedures shall comply with all other
requirements in regulations adopted by the Secretary of State
pursuant to subdivision (g).
(f) Upon completion of the pilot program, the governing board
shall notify the Secretary of State in writing of any defect, fault,
or failure of the hardware, software, or firmware of the voting
system or a part of the voting system.
(g) A voting system pilot program shall not be conducted in a
legally binding election without the prior approval of the Secretary
of State. The Secretary of State shall adopt and publish regulations
governing voting system pilot programs.