US finds flaws in ES&S DS200 voting machine

A ballot scanning device slated for use in the upcoming presidential elections misreads ballots, fails to log critical events and is prone to freezes and sudden lockups, the US Elections Assistance Commission found.

A ballot-scanning device slated for use in the upcoming presidential elections misreads ballots, fails to log critical events and is prone to sudden lockups, the US Election Assistance Commission found.

An EAC report on the Election Systems & Software (ES&S) DS200 Precinct Count Optical Scanner in the Unity 3.2.0.0 voting system cites multiple "substantial anomalies" in the DS200, including screen freezes, system lockups and shutdowns, and a failure to log all normal and abnormal system events.

For example, the 141-page Formal Investigative Report released late last month notes that the DS200 sometimes failed to log events, such as a vote being cast, when its touchscreen was calibrated or when the system was powered on or off.

Though the EAC concluded that the DS200 doesn't currently meet federal standards, it stopped short of decertifying the system.

Instead, the EAC issued a "notice of noncompliance," which gives ES&S an opportunity to remediate the problems.

In a statement, ES&S said it has worked in good faith with the EAC and contends that the flaws wouldn't compromise election results.

This version of this story was originally published in Computerworld's print edition. It was adapted from an article that appeared earlier on Computerworld.com.
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