Elections ACT
Enhancement of eVACS® for the 2024
ACT Legislative Assembly Election
System Specification - Part 1
Requirements
Document Status: Final
Version 1.1
March 2023
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System Specification – Part 1 Requirements
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Document Control Information
The controlled version of this document is in electronic form.
All hardcopy versions are uncontrolled.
Modifications
Date of this
Version Comment
Author
Reviewer Release
Revision
2022-12-06
0.1
Initial draft
CJB
2022-12-06
0.2
Inclusion of changes from 2020
CJB
2023-03-10
1.0
Inclusion of changes for 2024 upgrade
CJB
CVB
2023-03-21
1.1
Addresses reviewer comments
CJB
2023-03-21
Distribution
Name and Appointment
Document Name
Date of Issue
Version
Jiv Sekhon, eVACS Project Manager, EACT System Specification Part 1
2023-03-23
1.1
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Contents
COPYRIGHT NOTICE ............................................................................................ 2
Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................... 2
eVACS® ............................................................................................................................................. 2
eVACS® 2024 Upgraded Document Tree ......................................................................................... 2
DOCUMENT CONTROL INFORMATION .............................................................. 3
Modifications ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Distribution .......................................................................................................................................... 3
CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ 4
1
SCOPE .......................................................................................................... 6
1.1
Document overview .................................................................................................................. 6
1.1.1
Definitions, requirements and actions .................................................................................... 6
1.2
Reference Documents.............................................................................................................. 7
1.3
Acronyms ................................................................................................................................. 7
2
REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................... 8
2.1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 8
2.2
Sections from [1] with requirement changes ............................................................................ 8
2.2.1
System capability requirements (3.2) ..................................................................................... 8
2.2.1.1
Overview of components (3.2.1) ............................................................................................. 8
2.2.2
Election setup (3.2.5) ............................................................................................................. 9
2.2.3
Electronic voting (3.2.6) ........................................................................................................ 10
2.2.3.1
Ballot flexibility (3.2.6.3)........................................................................................................ 10
2.2.3.2
Requirements specific to the voting client (3.2.6.4) .............................................................. 10
2.2.3.2.1 Welcome screen (3.2.6.4.2) ................................................................................................. 10
2.2.3.2.2 Main Voting Screen (3.2.6.4.3) ............................................................................................. 10
2.2.3.3
Requirements specific to the polling place server (3.2.6.5) .................................................. 10
2.2.4
Telephone voting (3.2.7)....................................................................................................... 11
2.2.5
Electronic voting counting and reporting (3.2.10) ................................................................. 11
2.2.6
System internal data requirements (3.4) .............................................................................. 12
2.2.7
Security and privacy requirements (3.6) ............................................................................... 12
2.2.7.1
Requirement to be satisfied by a system component (3.6.1) ................................................ 12
2.2.8
Computer resource requirements (3.7)................................................................................. 12
2.2.8.1
Voting server (3.7.1.3) .......................................................................................................... 13
3
VOTING PROCESS RELATED CHANGES ................................................ 14
3.1
Screens in voting process ...................................................................................................... 14
3.2
Actions possible from each screen ....................................................................................... 14
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ATTACHMENT A – COMPLETE LIST OF CHANGES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN
EVACS® 2024 AND WHERE ADDRESSED IN THE REQUIREMENTS ............. 18
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1 – Screens in voting process…………………………………………………………………… 15
Table 1 - Possible actions from each screen and progress bar indications………………………… 16
Table 2 – Wording of messages and instructions on each screen…………………………………… 17
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1 Scope
The System Specification (SS) specifies the system structure and requirements for eVACS® and the
methods to be used to ensure each requirement has been met.
There are two parts to the SS:
Part 1- Requirements, including election nomenclature definitions, and
Part 2 - Scenario Analyses, in the form of Event-Action lists reflecting those requirements.
[1] and [2] are comprehensive versions of the two documents describing the SS for eVACS® 2020.
To avoid future confusion, only Part 1 – Requirements has been updated to reflect the enhancements
for eVACS® 2024 [3]. This is primarily because Part 2 – Scenario Analyses focuses on the voting
process which is basically unchanged, notwithstanding the separation of the Welcome screen
operations across two screens. Similarly the event/action lists are basically unchanged. Required
changes are reflected in the Operational Concept Description [4], .
1.1 Document overview
Section 2 details the requirements that are different to those for eVACS® 2020 as in [1]. For ease of
reference, section references in Section 2 herein are those used in section 3 of [1].
An update of Appendix B – Screens in voting process in [1] is provided herein as Section 3.
Attachment A is a list of all changes for 2024 together with an indication as to which section in section
2 herein they refer.
1.1.1 Definitions, requirements and actions
In Section 2, changed requirements are interspersed with explanatory text. Although there are no
changed Definitions, for completeness the following is reproduced in full from [1].
The content of definitions and requirements is easily identifiable, as each begins with a heading in
boldface and includes a unique identifier with the following forms:
Applicable
Identifier
Definition of identifier elements
For definitions:
SSS-D-C-N
SSS = System Specification,
D = Definition,
C = Major Section within this document, i.e. 3, and
N = a sequential number commencing with 1
For requirements
SSS-R-C.X-Y
SSS = System Specification,
R = Requirement,
C = Major Section within this document, i.e. 3,
C.X = a number being a subsection of section 3, where X is a
the subsection identifier, and
Y = a sequential number, commencing with 1, within C.X
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1.2 Reference Documents
In this SSS-1-R-24, a citation of the form [1] is a reference to that document e.g.1 in the following list.
1. Software Improvements Pty Ltd, eVACS® System Specification - Part 1 Requirements, 2020;
2. Software Improvements Pty Ltd, eVACS® System Specification - Part 2 Scenario Analyses, 2020;
3. Variation of the Contract in relation to the Electronic Voting and Counting System (eVACS)
Enhancements, Services and Support, dated 6 July 2022;
4. Software Improvements Pty Ltd, eVACS® Operational Concept Description,2023.
1.3 Acronyms
Abbreviation or Term
Meaning
ACT
Australian Electoral Commission
ACT EC
ACT Electoral Commission
CJB
Carol Boughton
CVB
Clive Boughton
EACT
Elections ACT
eVACS / eVACS®
electronic Voting and Counting System
LAPPERDS
Legislative Assembly Polling Place and Election Results Display System
OCD
Operational Concept Description
SIPL
Software Improvements Pty Ltd
SRS
Software requirements Specification
SS/SSS
System Specification
SSS-1-R-20
System Specification – Part 1 Requirements for 2020
SSS-2-SA-20
System Specification – Part 2 Scenario Analyses for 2020
USB
Universal Serial Bus
USB-FD
USB Flash Drive
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2 Requirements
2.1 Introduction
eVACS® 2024 is based on the functionality described for eVACS® 2020 ([1] and [2]) together with
additional enhancements as described in [3]) and listed in Appendix A of [4]. The requirements for
eVACS® 2024 are therefore a combination of existing and new requirements.
The comprehensive requirements for 2020 [1] are not repeated here. The descriptions and requirement
identifiers included in this Section 2 relate only to changes in requirements as described in the following
sections from Section 3 in [1]:
3.2 Capability requirements (changes)
3.3 System interface requirements (no change)
3.4 System internal data requirements (change)
3.5 Safety requirements (no change)
3.6 Security and privacy requirements (changes)
3.7 Computer resource requirements (changes)
3.8 System quality factors (no change)
3.9 Design and construction constraints (no change)
3.10 Qualification provisions (no change)
Only those sections with changes are included in Section 2.2 below.
For ease of cross-reference the same section identifiers in [1] are used herein.
2.2 Sections from [1] with requirement changes
For a particular section only the description or those requirements needing to be amended are included
in this section.
For all other requirements, and definitions, these can be found in Tables 1 and 2 of [1].
Figures in brackets in section headings are the relevant section in [1]
2.2.1
System capability requirements (3.2)
2.2.1.1 Overview of components (3.2.1)
An installation of eVACS® to be used by Elections ACT for the 2024 Legislative Assembly Election
includes the following software components:
• eVACS® Election server, includes setup, counting and reporting functionality (one instance)
• eVACS® Ballot Viewer (one instance)
• eVACS® Electronic voting client (many instances per polling place)
• eVACS® Electronic voting server (one instance per polling place)
• eVACS® Electronic telephone voting server for telephone voting system(one instance)
• Interactive Voice Response platform for telephone voting system (two instances)
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2.2.3
Electronic voting (3.2.6)
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-32: Voting client response time
After a vote is confirmed, eVACS® shall display the acceptance screen in a different colour for a
specified time to be set by Elections ACT (subsequently set at 15 seconds). After that time expires,
eVACS® shall be ready for the next voter within one second.
The voting client shall remain on when voting is available.
2.2.3.1
Ballot flexibility (3.2.6.3)
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-35: Ability to vary font size within candidate name
The system is to provide configuration of the font size to be utilised when displaying the candidate name
on the ballot screen.
2.2.3.2
Requirements specific to the voting client (3.2.6.4)
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-36: Provide flexibility in how text is programmed and displayed on
screen
The system is to provide for configuration of fonts, font size and placement of text within the voting client
display, and to allow for inclusion of a ‘comma’ in party names.
2.2.3.2.1 Welcome screen (3.2.6.4.2)
The ‘Welcome screen’ shall be provided in two parts : ‘Welcome screen’ and ‘Language Selection
screen’.
Welcome Screen
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-39: Welcome screen properties: messages
The ‘Welcome Screen’ shall display or play a welcome message in English.
The ‘Welcome Screen’ shall display a message acknowledging the traditional owners of the land.
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-40: Welcome screen properties: e-voting card instruction
The ‘Welcome Screen’ shall display an instruction to scan your e-voting card to start, in each of the
languages supported or play the instruction in English.
Part B – Language Selection screen
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-41: Language Selection screen properties: messages
The ‘Language Selection screen’ shall allow for the selection of preferred language.
2.2.3.2.2 Main Voting Screen (3.2.6.4.3)
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-43: Main voting screen properties: language
The ‘Main Voting Screen’ shall display instructions in voter’s selected language, and allow for the voter
to return to the ‘Language Selection screen’ to change their preferred language selection.
2.2.3.3
Requirements specific to the polling place server (3.2.6.5)
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-76: Generate and print QR codes for each voting server backup of votes
The voting server shall create a SHA2 hash for each backup and print as a QR code.
An ability to reprint QR codes when backing up votes shall be provided.
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Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-115: Reporting – output file for LAPPERDS
The LAPPERDS file output from eVACS® shall conform with the requirements identified in Attachment
C of [3].
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-116: Reporting – election statistics
eVACS® shall produce for the election statistics book as many tables for which data is available in
eVACS®.
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-117: Reporting – new statistical report
A report shall be available on total ACT early voting figures being the sum of all early voting centre
electronic and paper votes, that is only pre-poll votes.
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-118: Reporting – break in sequence and length of sequence tables
i)
For formal paper ballots only, there shall be a table on sequence breaks as well as repeated
next consecutive numbering, and
ii)
For both paper and electronic ballots there shall be a table identifying the number of
sequences of different lengths.
Requirement: SSS-R-3.2-119: Reporting – error reports
Polling place server error reports shall capture the number of incomplete votes as well as the number
of resets.
2.2.6
System internal data requirements (3.4)
Requirement: SSS-R-3.4-2: Error identification
Create error prompts to identify where problems exist with specific files during the loading of phase 1
and phase 2 data.
Prompts must provide specific location details within individual files.
2.2.7
Security and privacy requirements (3.6)
Requirement SSS-R-3.6-4: Access passwords to conform to Government requirements
Passwords throughout the system should only be able to be set if they meet ACT Government and ASD
password security standards applicable at the time of the election.
Requirement SSS-R-3.6-8: Asterisks to be used to indicate progress when entering passwords
Progress with entering a password is to be indicated on screen by the use of asterisks.
2.2.7.1
Requirement to be satisfied by a system component (3.6.1)
Requirement SSS-R-3.6-9: Multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication shall be implemented for all servers (election Server and polling place
servers).
2.2.8
Computer resource requirements (3.7)
In addition to the hardware requirements specified in [2], the new Ballot Viewer module is designed to
replicate the ballot as seen by a voter and therefore the same equipment as provided for voting clients
is required for the Ballot Viewer, currently an All-in-One computer with a touch screen.
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2.2.8.1
Voting server (3.7.1.3)
Requirement SSS-R-3.7-7: Failed hard drive
Streamline The process for checking drive failure in a voting server shall be streamlined from that
implemented in eVACS® 2020.
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Schedule 2.2(a)(xi)
Schedule 2.2(a)(xi)
