Elections Infrastructure & the NVS
Two independent panels
The Elections Panel operates voting infrastructure, sets technical standards, certifies results and administers pools and lotteries. The NRS Panel operates the permanent record. Each has at least five members; no appointing authority controls a majority in one electoral term. Temporary technical measures expire after seventy-two hours and cannot change electoral rules, timelines or record permanence.
§11.1 — full provision →Three simultaneous properties
Ballot secrecy: votes cannot be linked to voters, including in audits. Public auditability: aggregate results are mathematically verifiable, while private individual verification cannot prove a vote to someone else. Resilience: degraded operation preserves both protections. Eligibility verification cannot store or expose voter identity in the NVS. NVS information is limited to administration, audit, certification and judicial review of the relevant election or petition.
§11.2 — full provision →Noncompliant State administration
The Panel publishes findings and formally notifies the State, which has a statutory cure period. Uncured noncompliance leads to direct Panel administration for that federal electoral period; State administration then resumes. Withheld certification and noncompliance findings do not invalidate votes cast. Federal financial and technical assistance remains required under §7.2(6).
§11.3 — full provision →Permanent record and continuity
Constitutional acts and required electoral records are published permanently. Corrections accompany originals. Electoral publication preserves ballot secrecy and protected personal information. Safety restriction requires unanimous Panel action and court review within thirty days. The JM’s physically independent authentication system preserves constitutional acts during failure; at 180 days without restoration it becomes the constitutional record.
§10.1 — full provision →