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King County Elections
9010 East Marginal Way S
Tukwila, WA 98108

206-296-VOTE (8683)
TTY: 206-296-0109
FAX: 206-296-0108

Hours:
Weekdays 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 16, 2009

Acceptance testing process of County’s upgraded tabulation to begin while federal certification continues

Beginning Tuesday, King County Elections will start the four-step internal acceptance testing process for the upgraded tabulation equipment.  This process is open to the public and fulfills Elections’ promise in complete and transparent testing of the upgraded tabulation system.  Testing will last approximately eight weeks total. 

The test program is based on best practices used in other County technology projects and other election jurisdictions. The phases and purpose of each phase include:

  1. Delivery acceptance testing of the hardware and software to confirm that the system operates as documented by the vendor.
  2. Mock election to ensure that the hardware, software and system perform each of the functions required by federal, state and local election laws to administer an election from beginning to end.
  3. Volume/stress testing to ensure that the system will stand up to 50 percent more than the maximum expected volume for the County’s largest election.  This step in the testing process will demonstrate the systems capacity and ability to handle the inevitable growth in voter registrations. 
  4. Security review by Anitian, an elections security firm, to identify and mitigate any system security risks.  This step will occur concurrent of the other testing processes.

The federal certification and testing process of the Premier Election Solution Assure tabulation solution has been ongoing since early 2007.  At this point in time, the process continues and Elections in regular communication with the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the test lab, the Office of the Secretary of State, and system vendor.  For more information on the federal certification process, visit the EAC Web site at www.eac.gov/.

The entire acceptance testing process will take place at the Elections Renton office, 919 SW Grady Way, in a secured room visible from the public observer loop.  For more information on the upgraded tabulation system, visit www.kingcounty.gov/elections.