01 February 2002 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Dear Senator McConnell: I am writing in regards to Senate Bill 565 to inform you of an ongoing initiative of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to develop standards for voting equipment. The IEEE is the largest technical society in the world with over 360,000 members in 150 countries. Its standards development arm, the IEEE-SA (Standards Association), is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited and internationally recognized developer of standards. In June, as the result of a grass roots initiative of a number of engineers, the IEEE inaugurated a standards project to develop a series of related technical standards addressing voting equipment. Currently, there are over 120 IEEE members and other volunteers contributing their time and expertise to the effort. Engineers and experts in fields such as security, reliability and electro-magnetic compatibility are addressing the inter-disciplinary nature of this project. There is also strong representation from the disability community and those interested in assuring disability access to the voting system. We are also working in close coordination with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Compliance Board (which writes the ADA standards), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), and other organizations. At its last meeting, NASED invited the IEEE to serve ex-officio on its Voting System Standard (VSS) Board. This invitation enables the IEEE to provide technical support to state and local officials and the independent testing authorities (ITAs) of the VSS, and insures that the IEEE standard will address the needs of election officials and administrators. A final component of our effort is the input we are receiving from individuals around the globe. By incorporating international feedback in the IEEE standards setting process, we have the potential to exert a positive influence on the democratic voting process in other countries, and create a truly international standard. We believe that the IEEE voting standard project P1583 supports the aims of S. 565. Fundamentally, the IEEE standards effort relies on expert input obtained through a democratic, consensus based process to improve our election and voting equipment systems. It allows citizens who possess technical skills to contribute to our political process, while at the same time involving NASED, the FEC and others who have a long history in election administration at the local, state, and national levels. I am attaching to this letter several documents:
We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with your staff to better acquaint them with our project. We would like to discuss how this project will result in better standards for voting equipment and discuss your thoughts on how this effort can best implement the goals in S.565. Please feel free to contact me at (512) 864-3365 or I will call your office to follow up. If you have any further questions, please contact Deborah Rudolph, Manager, Technology Policy - IEEE-USA, in our Washington office at (202) 785-0017 x8332, or Edward Rashba, Manager, New Technical Programs at IEEE Headquarters at (732) 465 6449. We look forward to working with you to develop standards for voting equipment. Sincerely, Stephen Berger Chair, Voting Equipment Standards Committee (P1583)
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