1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG): An Overview Updated February 11, 2021 States and localities make most decisions about the voting systems used in U.S. elections, from what equipment to acquire to how to pay for i
2、t. Since 1990, however, the federal government has issued voluntary guidance states and localities may use to inform their choices. This Insight examines the current iteration of that guidance, the V oluntary V oting System Guidelines (VVSG). Origins of the VVSG Issues with voting systems contribute
3、d to delays in the resolution of the 2000 presidential election. Congress responded, in part, by including benchmarks for voting systems in the Help America V ote Act of 2002 (HA V A; 52 U.S.C. 20901-21145). Title III of HA V A defined and set some mandatory standards for the voting systems states u
4、se in federal elections. The act also provided for development of more detailed voluntary federal guidelinesthe VVSGand creation of a federal program to test and certify voting systems to the guidelines. Responsibility for these tasks was assigned primarily to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission