Whenever a county auditor acquires a new system or an upgrade to an existing system that has been certified by the secretary of state, the county must perform acceptance tests of the equipment before it may be used to count votes at any election. The equipment must operate correctly, pass all tests, and be substantially the same as the equipment certified by the secretary of state. The minimum testing standards are described as follows:

(1) The model number, version number, release number, and any other number, name or description that identifies the product must be the same as the identifying numbers for the product already certified by the secretary of state.

(2) The county must receive all manuals and training necessary for the proper operation of the system.

(3) For new hardware or hardware upgrades, the county must test the functionality of the hardware to verify the hardware works as designed. The test must include operating the hardware and submitting it to a series of assessments that determine the hardware works, performs, and functions as intended.

Acceptance testing and installation of the equipment may occur only between December 1st and September 15th of each year.