SB 370 yesterday, according to email earlier today from Open Voting Consortium director Alan Dechert.
I don't find any real news about this reported yet on this holiday weekend. anybody else?
and here's today's latest story by Ian Hoffman at the Oakland Tribune, as usual #1 with e-voting coverage: "California to put e-voting to the test: Touch-screen firms must turn over software for security review."
Hoffman will no doubt update, but at present, his Tribune story still has SB 370 on the governor's desk awaiting a Sunday deadline for his signature, with Sec'y of State Bruce McPherson opposed.
Here's Hoffman's lead:
California is putting the tools of democracy to perhaps the most rigorous testing of any state, ordering voting-machine makers to surrender their proprietary software for security reviews and supply dozens of their machines for mass, mock-election tests.
In memos this week to voting-machine makers and local elections officials, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson laid out the new requirements and ordered the creation of a new office, led by a savvy computer technician, devoted to putting voting machines through their paces before California voters use them.
McPherson had said last week his office was going to offer something better than random "paper trail" audits to reassure the voting public about the accuracy of the machines.
And, indeed, to require the companies to give up their claims to proprietory software is a big step, although it's only common-sense that voting software be tested rigorously, professionally and independently.
Let us assume this new "mass testing and security reviews of software ... thought to make California's rules the toughest in the nation" will still be required, and the new office "devoted to putting voting machines through their paces" will still be funded, even though SB 370 is now law.
as Hoffman notes: these moves by the state of California come "as huge sums of federal and state money are feeding voting-system purchases nationwide, and manufacturers increasingly are supplying high-tech computers to record and count the vote."
"I think we need to take some fundamental steps to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the voting process," McPherson said.
and I can only agree.
Here's OVC.
again, if anybody has any news links, please post them.