An Independent Testing Authority (ITA) is a laboratory certified by the United States–based
National Association of State Election Directors
The National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) is a U.S. association that was formed in 1989 when a group of state election directors and administrators met in Reno, Nevada. The driving issue at that time that spurred the group to org ...
(NASED) to test voting systems to the Voting System Standards (VSS) or the
Voluntary Voting System Guidelines
The Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) are guidelines adopted by the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for the certification of voting systems. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Technical Guidelines D ...
(VVSG) in the
process of certifying voting systems. The Election Assistance Commission has taken over the responsibility for accrediting such laboratories and now uses the
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into Outline of p ...
's
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in USA, offers accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories across various fields. NVLAP evaluates ...
. Under the EAC process, ITA's are now known as
Voting System Testing Laboratories (VSTLs).
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Election technology