The State Board of Elections (SBE) decertified the AVS WINVote equipment at its public meeting today. The WINVote system is currently used in 30 localities, totaling more than 560 precincts around the state.
This decision was reached after careful review of the serious security concerns identified in this system, feedback from election officials across the Commonwealth, and public comments from Virginians, technology experts, and other stakeholders. Decertification means the WINVote system can no longer be used in elections in Virginia, effective immediately.
In response to the widely reported issues experienced by Virginians on Election Day in 2014, Governor McAuliffe called for an investigation into voting machine irregularities. SBE unanimously approved a proposal from the Commissioner of Elections to conduct the first comprehensive review undertaken of voting equipment used across the Commonwealth. Today’s meeting was held shortly after serious security concerns associated with WINVote machines were uncovered by the Department during the ongoing review of voting equipment. The report and associated documents are available here: http://elections.virginia.gov/webdocs/VotingEquipReport/
After weighing the dire potential consequences of the continued use of WINVotes against the fiscal and election administration burdens faced by many localities across the state, the Board concluded that protecting every eligible voter’s right to have their voted counted outweighed these other concerns.
“The Board and the Department took immediate action to address the serious security concerns identified with this equipment and to protect Virginia’s electoral system from potential significant problems in the future,” said Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortés. “Today’s decision to decertify WINVote voting equipment showed a bipartisan commitment to ensuring the integrity of elections in the Commonwealth.”
The ability to meaningfully participate in our democracy is one of the most important rights that we have as citizens, and the Department and the State Board of Elections are dedicated to maintaining voters’ confidence in the democratic process.
The State Board of Elections is charged with supervising and coordinating the work of local electoral boards and registrars, through the Department of Elections, in order to obtain uniformity in practices used across the Commonwealth and legality and purity in all elections, pursuant to the Code of Virginia § 24.2-103. In compliance with this mandate, the Department of Elections promotes and supports accurate, fair, open and secure elections for the citizens of the Commonwealth.
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