A digital signature isn’t a handwritten signature produced digitally. This, apparently, is more common a misconception than i initially thought.

In the context of the 2010 AES, the digital signature is the thing that identifies the source of the transmission to the CCS.

Now where can this digital signature be found? It is affixed to the PCOS data via the security key – that little black token that you fit onto the i-button port. When the signature is introduced into the system that way, it becomes possible to transmit election returns. In other words, if you have election returns, and certificates of canvass, its a pretty safe bet that it’s backed up by a digital signature.