Acceptance testing

1. Testing each individual unit of the voting system for conformance to the certified model. Acceptance testing should not be done by the vendor and should be done any time the voting system unit falls out of custody of the jurisdiction.

Source: Glossary - Introduction to Information Technology for Election Officials, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, https://www.eac.gov/assets/1/28/Glossary_IT-Terms_Managing_Election_Technology.pdf

2. Examination of a voting system and its components by the purchasing election authority (usually in a simulated-use environment) to validate performance of delivered units in accordance with procurement requirements, and to validate that the delivered system is, in fact, the certified system purchased.

Source: Glossary of terms database, U.S. Election Assistance Commission https://www.eac.gov/glossary/

3. Examination of a voting system and by the purchasing election jurisdiction to validate: the performance of delivered devices to ensure they meet procurement requirements, and that the delivered system is, in fact, the certified system purchased. This usually happens in a simulated-use environment.

Source: Election Terminology Glossary - Draft, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), https://pages.nist.gov/ElectionGlossary/

4. Acceptance testing is the examination of voting systems and their components by the purchasing election authority in a simulated-use environment to validate performance of delivered units in accordance with procurement activities.

Source: ELECTIONS: The Nation’s Evolving Election System as Reflected in the November 2004 General Election, U.S. Government Accountability Office, https://www.gao.gov/assets/160/157713.pdf