Election administration; modifying requirements for use of certain items in election administration. Effective date. Emergency.
The Act would require the Secretary of the State Election Board to conduct an inventory of current vendors associated with election administration. It establishes stringent stipulations for contracts related to election technology, ensuring those engaged are largely U.S. citizens with substantial ownership stakes in their companies. Furthermore, any voting-related data must be processed and counted within the state, preventing external data handling that could compromise voter privacy and election integrity. This represents a significant tightening of regulations around election technology providers.
Senate Bill 955, known as the Election Integrity Act of 2021, introduces several significant modifications to the administration of elections in Oklahoma aimed at enhancing electoral security. The bill mandates that all computer programs and software used in election administration be open source and provided exclusively by private companies, excluding publicly held companies. This legislative change seeks to ensure transparency and protect the state's proprietary interest in election-related software and systems. SB955 reflects growing concerns about election security and integrity in the context of public governance.
SB955 went into effect on July 1, 2021, as an emergency measure, indicating the urgency perceived by the legislature in addressing election integrity issues. By immediately establishing regulations on the use of election technology, the bill reflects a proactive approach to ensuring the protection of the voting process and the associated data, aiming to bolster public confidence amid increasing scrutiny of electoral processes nationwide.
Opponents of SB955 may argue that the bill could limit competition in the election technology market, as it restricts suppliers to private entities that are not publicly held and demands stringent compliance with its guidelines. Critics could raise concerns about the feasibility of enforcing compliance amongst vendors and ensuring that the transition to open source does not lead to inefficiencies or increased costs in election administration. Furthermore, the specificity of the requirements about data handling could invoke discussions about operational capacity and performance standards among election service providers, which could be contentious.