GAO VVSG response item #1

["David Webber \(XML\)" <david@drrw.info>]

Team,

The clock is ticking on developing a response
to the GAO VVSG document.

As a first step I'd like to suggest to GAO that
the VVSG should recommend voting systems
conform to open public specifications.

Here's my first blush at this - please feel free to
improve / refine, etc.

You can never make this 100% - it will depend to 
some extent on the vendor adopting not just the 
sense of this but the spirit too. And this wording 
leaves it open enough that the vendor(s)
can adopt some other appropriate standard, or 
contribute to the development and extension of, 
provided it is both open public and independently 
verifiable.


The goal here is to have something that GAO /
NIST can feel comfortable with as generic 
terminology that describes the type of behaviour
generally preferred - and then States can ask
for that in RFPs for equipment and solutions.

Thanks, DW

<vote_process_terms>
Digital vote records, audit trail control and vote process configuration
and control scripts should be implemented, stored and prepared using
formats defined by freely and openly available public specifications
that utilize content markup language techniques such as the widely
adopted eXtensible Markup Language (XML) syntax and derived
methods.   Also the vote record formats themselves and handling
associated to them should conform to open public specifications
and process definitions that can be independently verified and
compatibility certified to, such as the OASIS Election Markup
Language (EML) process specifications that are royalty free
and provide open public license terms.
</vote_process_terms>