Computerworld Acknowledges AITP eVoting Position

 
October 30, 2006

E-Voting Believers

Electronic voting has been around for over a decade, and, yes, it continues to be haunted by concerns over security, accuracy and integrity. But Avi Rubin ["Q&A: Go Back to Paper Ballots, Says E-voting Expert", Computerworld.com, 09/20/2006] doesn't acknowledge that e-voting works very well in states like Nevada.

It's no coincidence that Nevada is leading the nation in e-voting. Nevada's regulation of the gaming industry, particularly slot machines, is stricter than federal and most state regulations for e-voting. In fact, when Nevada introduced its e-voting systems in 2004, the state Gaming Control Board's Electronic Services Division, which is responsible for verifying the security of electronic gambling machines, reviewed the system and declared it secure.

Rubin also doesn't seem to be aware that the Association for Information Technology Professionals adopted a nine-point recommendation for e-voting standards in 2004 based primarily on Nevada's gaming industry regulations, or that the AITP is leading other IT professional organizations in influencing federal and state e-voting standards.

The AITP's nine points are:

1. Public access to the related software to permit independent inspection and confidence in its accuracy.
   
2. Independent testing, including random spot checks, similar to existing Nevada provisions for slot machine testing
   
3. Meticulous, constantly updated standards for machines
   
4. Scrutiny of manufacturers to ensure their independence from parties and candidates
   
5. An independent testing lab with an arm's-length relationship with the manufacturers it polices and that's open to inquiries from the public
   
6. A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
   
7. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
   
8. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
   
9. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.Public access to the related software to permit independent inspection and confidence in its accuracy.
   
10. Independent testing, including random spot checks, similar to existing Nevada provisions for slot machine testing
    
11. Meticulous, constantly updated standards for machines
    
12. Scrutiny of manufacturers to ensure their independence from parties and candidates
    
13. An independent testing lab with an arm's-length relationship with the manufacturers it polices and that's open to inquiries from the public
    
14. A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
    
15. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
16. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
17. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.Independent testing, including random spot checks, similar to existing Nevada provisions for slot machine testing
    
18. Meticulous, constantly updated standards for machines
    
19. Scrutiny of manufacturers to ensure their independence from parties and candidates
    
20. An independent testing lab with an arm's-length relationship with the manufacturers it polices and that's open to inquiries from the public
    
21. A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
    
22. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
23. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
24. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.Meticulous, constantly updated standards for machines
    
25. Scrutiny of manufacturers to ensure their independence from parties and candidates
    
26. An independent testing lab with an arm's-length relationship with the manufacturers it polices and that's open to inquiries from the public
    
27. A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
    
28. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
29. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
30. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.Scrutiny of manufacturers to ensure their independence from parties and candidates
    
31. An independent testing lab with an arm's-length relationship with the manufacturers it polices and that's open to inquiries from the public
    
32. A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
    
33. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
34. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
35. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.An independent testing lab with an arm's-length relationship with the manufacturers it polices and that's open to inquiries from the public
    
36. A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
    
37. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
38. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
39. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.A mechanism for immediate Election Day inspection of suspected defective machines
    
40. A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
41. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
42. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.A mechanism for voter review of paper copies of ballots prior to casting a vote and preservation of those ballots for any required recounts
    
43. An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
44. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.An alternative voting mechanism, such as early postal balloting, for those who refuse to trust the machines
    
45. Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.Random but thorough Election Day parallel testing of voting machines.