Secretary of State Issues Bids to Improve Voting Systems

Secretary of State Alex Padilla is continuing his mission to modernize the California voting system with the recent release of two bid opportunities.

Last week, the office issued two Requests for Quotation for Information Technology, or RFQ-IT, for test support services related to different types of voting programs. Under the first RFQ-IT issued Wednesday, the Secretary of State seeks assistance in evaluating the state Election Systems and Software (ES&S) EVS Voting System.

Services acquired through the bid include:

• Functional testing in which the contractor will help with functions such as system installation and data gathering;
• Source code review to evaluate security;
• System vulnerability and penetration testing;
• Accessibility and volume testing; and
• Additional security review

The second RFQ-IT, which was released on Friday, asks for support with 10 Remote Accessible Vote by Mail System (RAVBMS). As with the ES&S EVS system project, the solicitation includes additional security review, as well as functional and volume testing. In addition to these services, the bid states that the agency is looking for assistance with the testing of hardware, software, security and telecommunications, usability and privacy.

The ES&S EVS and RAVBMS have contract terms of seven and nine months, respectively.

Since taking the position of Secretary of State in January 2015, Padilla and his office have undertaken a series of initiatives aimed at modernizing the voter experience. One of the most recent efforts includes the launch of VoteCal, a statewide registration system that offers features such as online voter registration and polling place locations. According to an announcement from Padilla, as of last November VoteCal also allows users to check if their vote-by-mail or provisional ballot was counted.