Voting system standards.

Existing federal law, the Help America Vote Act of 2002, provides payments to states for activities that improve the administration of elections, including, among other things, improving, acquiring, leasing, modifying or replacing voting systems and technology and methods for casting and counting votes. The act establishes the United States Election Assistance Commission and requires the commission to adopt voluntary voting system guidelines that provide specifications and requirements against which voting systems can be tested for their functionality, accessibility, and security capabilities. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to adopt and publish voting system standards and regulations governing the use of voting systems that meet or exceed federal voluntary voting system guidelines established by the United States Election Assistance Commission. Until those standards are adopted, existing law requires the Secretary of State to use the federal voluntary voting system guidelines described above, as specified. This bill would delete the requirement that the Secretary of State use the federal voluntary voting system guidelines until state standards and regulations are adopted, and would require the Secretary of State to update state standards and regulations as the federal guidelines are updated or amended.