Following Group B Public Comment Hearings Oct. 2-10 in Atlantic City, N.J., the Code Council expects to conduct tests for the online voting process for a handful of proposed changes to the 2015 International Codes. The test is part of the advancement of cdpACCESS, ICC's initiative to create the code development process of the future.

Code Council Voting Members will take action on public comments to proposed changes to the Group B International Codes at the Public Comment Hearings. Eligible Voting Members who attend the hearings will vote in person, as per usual, when the moderator calls for a vote. This vote will determine the final outcome. Following the hearings, eligible voters can cast their votes on the selected code changes online about 10 days after the hearings. The in-person and online votes will be combined as part of the test. The test results are not binding.

"While we will take exciting first steps in Atlantic City, it is important to remember that cdpACCESS is more than just remote voting," said Code Council CEO Dominic Sims. "The ICC code development process encompasses several components leading up to Committee Action and Public Comment Hearings, including submitting code changes and public comments and exchanging ides with colleagues and others with an interest in building safety. Ultimately, cdpACCESS will allow participation in all phases from a computer or tablet, regardless of the voter's location."

The Code Council's plan is to launch cdpACCESS on Nov. 15 in time for the Group C code development cycle.