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SB 974

Access to Testing of Tabulating Equipment

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mack Bernard

SB 974 expands public access to test voting tabulation equipment for election security verification, but died in committee after being indefinitely postponed.

Died in Ethics and Elections
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Bill Summary · SB 974

Legislative bill overview

SB 974 would grant candidates, political parties, and election observers expanded access to test voting tabulation equipment before and after elections. The bill aims to increase transparency and verification capabilities for election integrity by allowing authorized parties to examine how ballots are counted by electronic systems.

Why is this important

Election security and public confidence in voting systems depend partly on the ability to verify that tabulation equipment functions correctly. This bill addresses concerns about access to testing procedures, which varies by jurisdiction and can affect how thoroughly different stakeholders can verify election accuracy.

Potential points of contention

  • Security vs. transparency trade-off: Increased access to tabulating equipment could create security vulnerabilities if equipment specifications or vulnerabilities become exposed to unauthorized actors, versus the public interest in verifiable elections
  • Implementation costs and logistics: Allowing broader testing access requires additional staff time, scheduling, and oversight at county election offices, raising operational burden and costs
  • Partisan advantage concerns: Candidates and parties given testing access could potentially use detailed equipment knowledge strategically, raising questions about whether access should be equal across all authorized parties

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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