The discrepancy is in the certified configuration record
The Election Assistance Commission's inspector general found that a scanner was erroneously listed in the certified configuration for the Democracy Suite 5.20 voting system. The interim report is part of a broader review of whether physical configuration audits support the systems the EAC certifies.
The OIG issued the finding before completing that broader review because the practical impact appears limited and the public record can be corrected immediately.
| Element | Finding |
|---|---|
| System | Democracy Suite 5.20 |
| Issue | Scanner erroneously listed in certified configuration |
| Recommendation | Correct certificate and supporting public documents |
| Questioned costs | $0 |
| OIG assessment | Practical impact appears limited |
Certification evidence must match tested components
A certificate is supposed to tell election officials and the public which components were tested as a system. Listing hardware that was not part of that configuration weakens traceability even when the practical consequence is small.
The recommendation directs EAC to work with the test laboratory and manufacturer as necessary and correct the Certificate of Conformance and other public-facing supporting documents.
The finding is not evidence that votes changed
The interim report identifies a documentation and configuration-control problem. It does not report altered ballots, inaccurate totals, exploitation of the scanner or a changed election result.
That qualification is essential. Accurate certification records matter precisely because they allow technical claims to be checked; they should not be stretched into an unsupported allegation about vote outcomes.
Method and limits
This newsroom compared the OIG's description, report metadata and open recommendation, separating the named document correction from the unfinished broader review.
Because the OIG calls this an interim report, later work may identify additional systems, controls or context. The current finding supports one correction and no monetary finding.
Sources and further reading
EAC OIG interim physical-configuration report, October 22, 2026 ↗