Computer Use

(1) The county election commission shall provide for the use of electronic computer capable of receiving and tallying all ballots cast using the punch card voting machine. The commission shall take adequate steps to insure that the program for each election is in its hands, and tested, at least seven (7) days prior to each such election. The commission shall further require that the following safeguards be instituted to completely clear the computer equipment before ballot processing commences and to insure that no other work is in process: (a) Secure the operating system and the application program as one unit. (b) Lock out unwarranted actions on the console and log all actions. (c) Generate an operating system that does not include multi-programming capabilities. (d) Physically lock out all unused input-output devices. This provision means that before beginning vote-tallying program testing or running on a computer also used for other purposes, all extraneous peripheral equipment should be physically disconnected. The erasure of memory locations that are to remain accessible to the system, except those minimally required to load a new operating system, if any, should be accomplished. Active measures should be undertaken to assure that any tapes or disks to be used that are supposed to be initially blank are actually blank (except for machine-readable inventory identifiers) and have no defects. DUTIES OF COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSIONS CHAPTER 1360-2-5 (e) Physically protect the master console or ballot tabulator after initial program loading. This shall mean that some person unanimously agreed upon by the county election commission shall stand guard over the said master console or ballot tabulator to prevent unauthorized tampering with it. Such person shall take the oath provided in T.C.A. §2—1—111. (f) Require written certification to the Coordinator’s office by the registrar and county election commissioners that the foregoing actions were properly taken.