H.R. 4990 — what changed

Voting systems research— The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in collaboration with the National Science Foundation as appropriate, shall carry out a program of research on voting systems, including—

the cybersecurity of different components of such systems;

end-to-end verifiable systems;

the accessibility and usability of different components of such systems;

voter privacy and data protection;

methods for auditing elections;

the interoperability of system technologies;

means for providing voters with the ability to easily check whether a ballot sent by mail has been dispatched to the voter and whether the voter’s marked ballot has been received and accepted by the appropriate election official;

the reliability of various approaches to voter authentication; and

such other areas of research as the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology determines to be appropriate and related to the security and integrity of elections for Federal office.

In general— The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall make an award to an institution of higher education or an eligible nonprofit organization (or a consortium thereof) to establish a Center of Excellence in Election Systems.

Collaborations— The Director shall ensure that the Center of Excellence includes a collaboration of institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, private sector entities, and State and local election officials.

Purpose— The purpose of the Center of Excellence shall be to—

conduct measurement research and statistical analyses to inform the development of standards for technologies and processes that contribute to more secure, fair, and accessible elections;

test and evaluate the security, usability, and accessibility of the technologies of voting systems, including the accessibility of poll book data by voters;

research testing methods that could be used for the certification of voting system technologies;

educate and train students studying in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to conduct measurement science and standards research relevant to such systems; and

foster collaboration among academic researchers, private sector vendors of election technology, and State and local election officials.

In general— An institution of higher education or an eligible nonprofit organization (or a consortium thereof) seeking funding under this subsection shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require.

Applications— Each application under subparagraph (A) shall include a description of—

how the Center will work with other research institutions, industry partners, and State or local election officials to identify the measurement, testing, and standards needs of voting systems and to leverage the expertise of election practitioners; and

how the Center will promote active collaboration among researchers in multiple disciplines involved in ensuring the security and integrity of such systems.

Selection and duration— Each Center established under this section is authorized to carry out activities for a period of 5 years, renewable for an additional 5 years at the discretion of the Director.

Research grants— The Director of the National Science Foundation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other relevant agencies, as appropriate, shall award basic research grants to increase the understanding of cyber and other threats to voting systems and to inform the development of technologies, processes, and policies that contribute to more secure, fair, and accessible elections, including research on—

the cybersecurity of different components of such systems;

end-to-end verifiable systems;

the human-technology interface, including the usability, accessibility, and comprehensibility of ballot design, ballot marking devices, and other components of such systems;

voter privacy and data protection;

voter practices regarding the verification of ballots generated by ballot marking devices and the likelihood that voters, both with and without disabilities, will recognize errors or omissions with respect to such ballots; and

such other topics as the Director determines to be appropriate and related to the integrity of elections.

Consortia— A consortia receiving an award under this subsection may include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, private sector entities, and State and local election officials.

Purpose— The purpose of a center established with a grant awarded under this subsection shall be to—

conduct basic research to advance understanding of cyber and other threats to election systems and the conduct of secure, fair, and accessible elections;

conduct research that may inform the development of technologies, processes, and policies that contribute to more secure, fair, and accessible elections;

educate and train students studying in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to conduct research relevant to election systems;

design curricula that address the growing organizational management and information technology needs of the election community; and

foster collaboration among academic researchers, private sector vendors of election technology, and State and local election officials.

In general— An institution of higher education or an eligible nonprofit organization (or a consortium thereof) seeking funding under this subsection shall submit an application to the Director of the National Science Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require.

Applications— Each application under subparagraph (A) shall include a description of—

how the center established with a grant awarded under this subsection will work with other research institutions, industry partners, and State and local election officials to identify research needs and leverage the expertise of election practitioners; and

how the center will promote active collaboration among researchers in multiple disciplines involved in elections systems security, including computer science, data science, and social and behavioral sciences.

Selection and duration— Each center established with a grant awarded under this section is authorized to carry out activities for a period of 5 years, renewable for an additional 5 years at the discretion of the Director.