GBA Voting Group Update

by | Jun 14, 2022 | Elections, Voting

Background

In 2018 several counties in the United States piloted elections using internet-connected devices for uniformed and overseas citizens and voters with disabilities. As a result of the successful pilots, various election officials have expressed the need for a method of certifying Remote Accessible Ballot Delivery Marking & Return (RABDMR) to support the wider implementations of remote voting solutions.

What We Are Doing

For that reason, the GBA has been working with elections experts for the past two years to support the analysis, implementation, and certification of Remote, Accessible, Ballot Delivery Marking & Return (RABDMR) solutions. The work has included:

  • A study with industry experts to conduct a side-by-side comparison of remote ballot delivery, marking, and return methods. This study resulted from two public roundtable discussions we hosted on Digital Ballots. You can watch the events at the following links:

We will be releasing this work over the next few weeks. The study is currently being reviewed by the study participants for final review and sign-off. Once approved, we will release it.

  • The GBA has developed a set of recommendations and submitted a draft to the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to extend the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) scope to enable certification RABMR solutions. Our recommendations to modify the VVVSG 2.0 are publicly available at  VVSG 2.0 RBDMRS Supplement v04 and we are seeking feedback on our Public Request For Feedback Form.
  • The GBA Voting Working Group has resources about elections and blockchain. Please feel free to view the Videos, Voting Blogs, and Voting Events.

What’s Next

On July 13, the GBA is hosting a Local Election Official (LEO) Roundtable on the subject of remote voting. Election officials are invited to participate in a discussion of the comparative benefits and security considerations of various remote voting methods.

The GBA Voting Working Group is also working on next-generation standards for voting. These standards include the use of innovative technology throughout the lifecycle of an election. If you would like to join the discussion, please follow these simple steps:

Join the Government Blockchain Association (membership is free for civil servants) and then join the GBA Voting Working Group.

Request For Comments (RFC) – Voting Supplement

by | May 12, 2022 | Elections, Voting

In 2018 several counties in the United States piloted elections using internet-connected devices for uniformed and overseas citizens.

As a result of the successful pilots, various election officials have expressed the need for a method of certifying Remote Accessible Ballot Delivery Marking & Return (RABDMR) to support the wider implementations of solutions.

However currently, there are no standards to certify solutions capable of internet return of a marked ballot. Current certification laboratories use a standard created by the Election Assistance Commission of the US Department of Commerce known as the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). Download the VVVSG 2.0

The VVSG does not define the requirements for electronic remote ballot delivery, marking, and return solutions. Furthermore, the EAC guidelines demand that all devices are air-gapped from the internet.

In response, the Government Blockchain Association (GBA) assembled a group of elections and technology experts to develop standards for a COTS device-based, end-to-end secured voting application.

The resulting work product is a proposed submission to the EAC known as the VVSG 2.0 RBDMRS Supplement v04. The group requests that people that are knowledgeable and interested in the subject review the document and provide their feedback and comments in the form below.

Feedback will be accepted until July 4, 2022.

 


Blockchain Voting Resources Directory

by | Apr 7, 2020 | Elections, Voting

The Government Blockchain Association (GBA) has members that have the resources available to help implement blockchain and remote voting solutions for elections requirements. These resources have been collected and provided by the GBA Voting Working Group. The resources available from GBA members include:

For more information about this resource directory, please contact:

The Government Blockchain Association is free for all civil servants. Private sector members pay annual dues to support the ongoing work of the association.

For more information visit the GBA Membership page