RHODE ISLAND, October 5 - CRANSTON, R.I. – At yesterday's meeting of the Rhode Island Board of Elections, the Board voted unanimously to adopt a new written protocol for the proofing and testing of ExpressVote machines prior to the November 8th general election and early voting period, which begins on October 19th.

Following issues identified during the early voting period for the September 13th primary election, Board of Elections staff worked closely with the Secretary of State's Office (SOS) and ExpressVote vendor Election Systems & Software (ES&S) to develop the new protocol to ensure better collaboration between all parties during the proofing and testing period. In summary:

- ES&S will now provide the SOS with virtual ExpressVote screens to proof the onscreen ballots prior to Logic and Accuracy testing.

- The SOS will now certify that all ballot types, both printed and electronic, have been reviewed by their office for accuracy.

- The Board of Elections, as part of testing, will compare the ExpressVote screen to an actual test ballot, and verify that both the screen and printed ExpressVote card are accurate.

- Test cards will be inserted into the corresponding DS200 to confirm tabulation.

A detailed overview of the ExpressVote proofing and testing process is available here.

"Over the last three weeks, our staff has worked in close collaboration with the Secretary of State's Office and Election Systems & Software to develop this new protocol to ensure that ExpressVote onscreen ballots and printed ExpressVote cards are accurate," said Robert Rapoza, Executive Director of the Board of Elections. "Using this new protocol, ExpressVote and DS200 proofing and testing will be completed in the coming days, and prior to the start of early voting on October 19th. With these measures in place, Rhode Island voters can have full confidence casting their ballots utilizing ExpressVote machines."

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