Hardware Independent Voting Systems

Hardware Independent

Voting Systems

Caveats•I am not talking about nor

endorsing internet voting (or the slippery slope to lead to it)

•There are many variations on the setup of what I am talking about

•We need to begin to understand the implications of this

What I KnowTHE CURRENT SYSTEM IS NOT SUSTAINABLE!!!

Current Situation•Jurisdictions use Hardware specific

systems •Most systems purchased just before or

just after passage of HAVA in 2002•Systems are getting older and need

continued and increasing maintenance •States & Counties don’t have money•Safe to assume no money is coming

What does this look like?

•Voting specific software that displays a ballot and allows the ballot to be marked

•Software can be loaded onto COTS hardware

•Tabulation can be achieved in a variety of ways

Oregon Example

What does this do?•Eliminates the need for expensive

hardware maintenance contracts•Takes advantage of newest COTS

hardware technology•Could limit cost and time of testing •Fixes and upgrades more readily

available

Challenges •Setup is akin to component

certification•Current standards and program not

setup to handle this•How to handle COTS•Election official IT support•More...