Test and suggest improvements to NIST human factors test methods for vvsg 2.0, i.e. test the test methods

The National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded the Center for Civic Design, Inc. $174,570 on July 1, 2026, under the Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards program (CFDA 11.609) to test and suggest improvements to NIST human factors test methods for Voting System Verification Specification 2.0.

The recipient will identify opportunities for simplifying human factors testing for VVSG 2.0, revise the approach to test methods and success criteria, review requirements for reports submitted as part of certification, and produce a final version and delivery report. Work builds on the Center for Civic Design and NIST's 2023 NIST Voting Technology Series VTS 400-5 handbook, which compiled information on meeting VVSG 2.0 human factors requirements, conducting usability tests with voters and election workers, meeting user-centered design report requirements, and detailed test methods for VVSG 2.0 Principles 5–8. The recipient anticipates outcomes will benefit NIST's Voting Program through systematic external review of existing test methods; enable the Election Assistance Commission Voting System Certification Program and voting system test laboratories to complete human factors testing more quickly while maintaining consistent, accurate results; help voting system manufacturers better understand requirements and preview test methods during design and development; and provide voters earlier access to systems designed to current VVSG standards. Performance is scheduled for completion by September 30, 2026, in Cambridge, Maryland. No sub-recipients are involved.

Purpose

The purpose is to test and suggest improvements to NIST human factors test methods for vvsg 2.0, i.e. test the test methods. The center for civic design and NIST completed a handbook for vvsg 2.0 human factors test strategies, published as NIST voting technology series VTS 400-5 in 2023. This report compiled information on meeting the human factors requirements in vvsg 2.0, how to conduct the required usability tests with voters and election workers, information about meeting the requirement for a user-centered design report, and detailed test methods for the technical requirements in vvsg 2.0 principles 5-8. The current work will build on the handbook by executing the activities outlined below.

Activities

The four major activities are:1. Identify opportunities for simplifying the human factors testing for vvsg 2.0 2. Revise approach to test methods, success criteria, and instructions 3. Review requirements for reports submitted as part of certification 4. Produce final version and delivery report expected outcomes:the outcomes of this research will support several important audiences:- nists voting program will benefit from a systematic external review of existing NIST human factors test methods to better inform the EAC.- the EAC voting system certification program will benefit from greater market capacity to complete certification testing.- voting system test laboratories will be able to complete human factors testing more quickly, enabling trained testing stage to perform a larger share of the examination while still producing consistent, accurate results. - voting system manufacturers will better understand human factors requirements and be able to preview test methods during design and development. - voters will have earlier access to voting systems designed to the most current vvsg standards.

Intended beneficiaries

EAC- vstls (voting system test laboratories)- voting system manufacturers- voterssubrecipient activities: none.