Statements of Independence
Voting Systems Compliance Testing Statement of Independence
The SLI Compliance® Voting Systems Compliance Testing Statement of Independence reads as follows:
The management and staff of SLI Compliance, along with SLI Compliance’s testing subcontractors and their employees, shall maintain an independent decisional relationship between themselves and SLI Compliance’s clients, affiliates, or other organizations so that the Company’s capacity to render test reports objectively and without bias is not adversely affected.
SLI Compliance, along with SLI Compliance’s testing subcontractors and their employees, shall maintain independence from Voting System Manufacturing clients whose systems are under VSTL test or are scheduled for a VSTL voting system test campaign. Specifically, employees shall not have a direct beneficial interest in a voting system product.
In addition, as a VSTL:
- SLI Compliance will not perform engineering development work on voting systems.
- The Test Laboratory, whether on-site at SLI Compliance, at SLI Compliance’s testing subcontractors’ facility, or at a client’s site, shall be organized so that staff members are not subjected to undue pressure or inducement that might influence their judgment or the results of their work.
- All staff involved in any way with voting systems Manufacturers must avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest in all verbal and written communications with voting system Manufacturers, and their employees, officers, agents and representatives. Statements to any person who is not a member of SLI Compliance’s management or the SLI Compliance testing team working on a particular testing project that may be understood as predicting or anticipating any testing results, whether general or specific, express or implied are prohibited.
- All employees or contractors of SLI Compliance involved in the testing of voting systems are required to attend SLI Compliance’s Laboratory Independence Training and sign the SLI Compliance Laboratory Independence Policy Acknowledgement form when hired and annually thereafter.