This bill amends several sections of the North Dakota Century Code to enhance election security and establish stricter requirements for voting systems. Key amendments include the introduction of new definitions, such as "current," which refers to the evaluation period for election system security, and "digital scan," which describes the process of tabulating votes from paper ballots. Additionally, the bill mandates that all voting systems must be certified according to the United States Election Assistance Commission guidelines version 2.0, with any systems certified under version 1.0 to be decertified immediately. The Secretary of State is tasked with ensuring that all voting systems are up-to-date with software security patches and antivirus protection before elections.

Furthermore, the bill outlines comprehensive testing requirements for voting systems before and after elections, including a complete hand count audit if a system fails to meet security and testing standards. It specifies that all voting systems must be tested for accuracy, and if errors are detected, they must be corrected before the election. The bill also establishes that if a voting system is not used due to failure to meet security requirements, a manual hand count of all ballots must be conducted. The Secretary of State is given the authority to adopt rules governing these hand counts, ensuring transparency and integrity in the electoral process.

Statutes affected:
INTRODUCED: 16.1-06-12, 16.1-06-14, 16.1-06-15, 16.1-06-26