How Can the Govt. Agency Certifying Elections (EAC) Maintain Its Independence When Its CIO Previously Worked for 10 Years for Dominion Voting Systems?

by Joe Hoft


A former Dominion employee for 10 years who represented Dominion in certifying its Pennsylvania implementation of its ‘Democracy Suite’ in 2017 now works for the government agency that certifies voting machine systems.

Jeff Carlson at the Markets Works created a report in November about the Voting Machine Certification Process:

An understaffed tiny federal agency and 2 private testing labs responsible for certification of nation’s voting systems

The fallout of the Nov. 3 elections has put the spotlight on the integrity of electronic voting machines used in the United States. In response, authorities have pointed to certifications of the machines as a safeguard against potential systemic problems with the voting machines and their software.

A deeper look into the certification process used for the machines, however, reveals that the main certification agency in the United States, the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), maintains an unexpectedly small staff, and one of its chief employees is a former executive of Dominion Voting Systems.

Carlson was referring to Jennifer Bowers who worked for Dominion for 10 years:

Notably, the EAC doesn’t mention Dominion in Bowers’ bio, just some ‘voting system manufacturer’.According to Carlson, Bowers actually represented Dominion in Pennsylvania’s certification of Dominion voting machines:

"Kathy Boockvar, just two weeks after she was appointed as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth, concluded in a Jan. 2, 2019 report (pdf) that Dominion’s “Democracy Suite 5.5A” voting machine “can be safely used by voters at elections,” and certified the Dominion voting systems in Pennsylvania.

Representing Dominion in that process was Jessica Bowers, director of certification for Dominion. In addition to Pennsylvania, Bowers appears to have been responsible for the implementation of Dominion Systems into a number of other states, including California, Colorado, Nevada, and Tennessee."

However, after enjoying a 10-year career at Dominion, Bowers would find her way into a new career path at the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC).

It’s unknown how the EAC maintains its independence in interactions with Dominion with Bowers now on their team.  This information is not provided.

What’s most concerning is that with all the issues recently reported surrounding Dominion voting systems around the US, how can the government entity that oversees this process remain independent with Bowers as their Acting CIO/CISO?