Contact:
Warren Slocum
Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Phone: (650) 363-4988 Fax: (650) 363-1903 E-mail: wslocum@smcare.org

Aternate:
David Tom
Phone: (650) 312.5222 E-mail: dtom@smcare.org

Logic & Accuracy Testing
Critical Pre-Election Process Open to Observers

Redwood City, CA – On October 1st, the San Mateo County Elections Office will begin the Logic & Accuracy (L & A) testing of the new eSlate Voting System. L & A testing consists of procedures necessary to ensure hardware and software to be used in the election are working properly, both as individual units and as a combined system. With a full implementation of the new voting system planned for the November 2007 Consolidated Municipal, School and Special District Election, the testing of the electronic voting equipment will be of particular interest to election observers who are welcome to view this testing process.

As required by law, the Elections Office will invite representatives from the political party central committees in San Mateo County. In addition to the central committee members, any interested person may observe the L&A process, or any other process at the Elections Division. “We have an open door policy at the Elections Office,” stated Slocum. “I believe strongly that public institutions should be open and transparent and we abide by that standard.”

Two sets of testing are planned. One set of the L & A testing will focus on the accurate tabulation of paper ballots that are scanned on the Ballot Now machines at Tower Road. With forty percent of the county’s voters signed up to vote by mail, approximately half of the turnout will be tabulated on this equipment. Set two of the L & A testing process will test the electronic voting system used by voters at the polls on Election Day. Both sets of testing will begin on Monday.

Before any testing begins, the development of testing matrixes for early voting, voting by mail, and election day voting are created. The testing matrixes for voting a paper ballot are identical to the testing matrixes for voting an electronic ballot. Only the conduct of the testing changes.

How are the test matrixes created? This November, there are 126 different ballot styles (42 individual ballot styles in 3 different languages). Then, a number of ballots are marked with predetermined votes so that every candidate and contest is voted for at least once in varying vote combinations on the test ballots. Test ballots also contain undervotes and overvotes to ensure that they will accurately reflect all potential voter choices.

When the electronic voting process is tested, testers cast ballots that mirror each voted test ballot in the deck. When they finish voting the entire deck, the tabulations must be a perfect match in order for the equipment to pass the L & A test.

The L & A testing process usually takes four to five days to complete with ten to fifteen staff exclusively dedicated to the testing. Interested observers are encouraged to call the Elections Manager, David Tom at (650) 312-5222.

Information about the upcoming November 2007 Election is available online at the San Mateo County Elections Division web site at www.shapethefuture.org or by calling 650-312-5222.