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The HR2239 proposal to require that all electronic voting machines provide a voter-verifiable paper audit trail would reassure voters that their vote has been correctly recorded, and provide a mechanism to count paper ballots manually as a back-up and verification of the computer-produced totals. It’s an excellent bill, but is unlikely to succeed because it lacks bi-partisan support. There is a simpler solution, one which would cost less, and take the time pressure off states trying to replace other unreliable voting technologies. This solution is also unarguably non-partisan:
Computer auditing firms are highly experienced at conducting computer security audits, and have well-developed standards for doing so. They are also experienced at supervising and certifying results of voting processes. The alternative of using the Standard Ballot Paper methodology would be extremely appealing for states concerned about the high cost of voting technologies, the risks of new voting technologies, or the shortage of time to introduce and verify new technologies. My bet would be that this simple, manual process would gradually replace more complex technologies, as its reliability, low cost and low risk became apparent. I’m a great believer in technology. In many cases it makes things cheaper, safer, and faster, especially in applications that involve millions of transactions every day. But in voting, a process critical to democracy that occurs only once a year or less, technology offers none of these benefits. In this process, simpler is better.
P.S.: This week’s Tom Tomorrow cartoon is on electronic voting machines. |
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Dave, once again, you make nothing but sense. I believe that the only way to get legislative traction on this issue in my country is by a bold act of civil disobedience as I outlined here. As the American legislature demonstrated when the “Do Not Call List” was threatened, they can move swiftly and decisively when the heat is on from their constituents. Someone must demonstrate to the American people just how dire the situation is. If published reports are true, then America itself, in a very real sense, is at stake.
Your ‘civil disobedience’ is a great idea, but it would be better if hackers were given the chance to show the flaws in the system before the election was held. If people have to vote twice, the turnout will be even more pathetic the second time. Some auditors actually put a test version of systems they are asked to certify up, and ask hackers to do their worst, as part of the integrity verification process.
” it would be better if hackers were given the chance to show the flaws in the system before the election was held. If people have to vote twice, the turnout will be even more pathetic the second time.” I don’t know. I think that ruining an actual election might be needed to demonstrate just how real the problem is. (My countrymen and our media can be pretty complacent.) That’s why I specified a primary election of some sort, maybe for a municipal office, but in a high-profile locality like LA or NY or DC. Turnout for that kind of election is sorry anyway, and in the larger scheme of things one of them wouldn’t be of vital importance, so the damage done would be minimal compared to a presidential election. I feel that it would give the best media attention to chaos ratio. Maybe your solution should be tried first, for good measure. I’m just afraid that Diebold or whoever would more easily be able to orchestrate PR damage control if the situation were not a real life one.
Dave — super-excellent posting. Thank you very much. As always, your intellectual energies are boundless.
Great post Dave. I recently dug up an independent report from SAIS, a secure telecommunications engineering firm, that audited the Maryland electronic voting system and, well, found it wanting. It’s posted on my page.
Rob: Thanks for the excellent work on this. I think we’re starting to learn that to be useful we bloggers need to do more than just report (though even that is more than what the mainstream media are doing), we need to investigate. Now if only someone would pay us to do it ;-)
It’s good to get paid, but sometimes it can damage one’s credibility. Think of the Cambridge Five, who made themselves both credible and indispensible to the USSR, and set themselves apart from later spies, by refusing to be paid for their work.