Ten Things You Need to Know
About Selecting a Voting System
Columbia, South Carolina
May 13, 2015
The Future of Voting
Columbia, South Carolina
Merle S. King
Executive Director
Center for Election Systems
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, Georgia
What is a Voting System
1. What is a Voting System?
Is it this?
or this?
What is a Voting System?
Is it a vote capture/vote tabulation system as defined by
HAVA (301)?
• (1) the total combination of mechanical,
electromechanical, or electronic equipment (including
the software, firmware, and documentation required to
program, control, and support the equipment) that is
used—
– (A) to define ballots;
– (B) to cast and count votes;
– (C) to report or display election results; and
– (D) to maintain and produce any audit trail
information
What is a Voting System?
Or a system as defined in SC statute?
SC Code § 7-13-1655 (2013)
A voting system is…” the total combination of
mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic
equipment, including the software, firmware, and
documentation required to program, control, and
support the equipment that is used to:
(a) define ballots;
(b) cast and count votes;
(c) report or display election results; and
(d) maintain and produce audit trail information;”
What is a Voting System?
… or is it this?
Interaction of Voting and Election Systems
(re)Districting
VR System
Voter
Information/
Education
Candidate
Qualifying
Audits
Pollworker/
Staff
Training
E-pollbooks
Voting System
Capture
UOCAVA /
Ballot
Delivery
Tabulation
Ballot
Marking
System
Ballot on
Demand
Administrative
Reports
Voter
Ballot
Printers
Election Night
Reporting
Voter
Authentication
Systems
What is a Voting System?
A voting system is the core technology that drives and
integrates the election system.
It is the most visible component of the election system
– It’s the part the voter touches
– It’s the part that produces results and determines
outcomes of elections
– It’s the part that gets tested and audited
– It’s the least understood part of the system
What is a Voting System?
Your voting system may be more, may become more,
than a vote capture/vote tabulation system
• Have a consensus understanding of what
constitutes the system: scope and depth
• Know the envelope of the system, its interfaces,
and its dependencies on other systems
• Your voting system will become the flagship of your
election system
Roles and Responsibilities
Evaluating, selecting, purchasing, deploying,
maintaining, using, auditing, and retiring a voting
system, requires scores of individuals and
organizations working together.
•State Election Commission
•State elections office
•State Procurement
•State Attorney General
•Legislature
•County election officials
•Muni election officials
•Voter advocacy groups
•Vendor(s)
•Political parties
•Academic researchers
•Citizens
•Testing Authority/Lab
•Other stakeholders
Roles and Responsibilities
Without clearly defined roles and responsibilities,
problems will occur:
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Confusion
Gaps in effort
Duplication of effort
Turf wars without methods of resolution
Missed deadlines
Ineffective systems
Lost momentum and damaged credibility
Roles and Responsibilities
Make sure all appropriate stakeholders are identified
Map and validate the roles and responsibilities of
each stakeholder group
Identify how efforts will be coordinated and corrected
(if need be)
– Look for gaps
– Look for unintended consequences
True Cost of Ownership
Determining the cost of ownership of a voting system is
not easy…the True Cost of Ownership is the cost to
purchase, operate and maintain a voting system over
its life span.
• Probably more than you think
• Pricing structure may shift costs around
– Time (front-loaded, back-loaded, leases)
– Organizationally
• Know how the vendor intends to be profitable on this
contract
True Cost of Ownership
There are explicit and implicit costs associated with the
voting system.
• Explicit costs will have $ outlay
• Implicit costs include
– Social and political costs
– Modification of existing systems to conform to the
voting system
• Evaluate the cost of the system over its life span
– not by initial purchase
– not by budget cycle or even election cycle
RFPs
The Request for Proposal (and related RFIs) is your
first and last, best chance to get the system
requirements right
Systems are rarely (never) better than the RFPs
used to define the requirements for that system
Put in the time – get it right
Don’t be afraid to start over if you have to
RFPs are widely available – ask other states
Transitioning
Changing a voting system is like changing tires on the
bus…
without stopping
South Carolina has an election every Tuesday
A transition plan will may allow the seamless migration
from the old system to the new system, with minimum
disruption
Vendor role may change once their system is no longer in
use
Transitioning
Planning for the transition:
• Unfreeze – Freeze – Look for opportunities!
• Evaluation of space, security requirement,
operating requirements of new system
• Delivery, acceptance testing
• Disposal of equipment, media, consumables
– Archived election data
– Salvage value (if any)
– Concurrent storage of the systems
• Skill sets – especially PM
Training and Education
Training and education - May cost more than the
purchase price of the system when you factor in
voter education, poll workers, election officials, etc.
Consider requisite:
• Attitude – mindset of each stakeholder
• Knowledge – what they need to be aware of
• Skill – demonstrated abilities
Training and Education
Identify:
• Needed learning outcomes and skills for all
stakeholders
• Strategy for attaining those outcomes
• Budget
• Plan
• Evaluation process and feedback loop
Life Span of System
The selection process should reveal how long the system is
expected to last
Is this reasonable? Desirable?
Will the use of Common Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components
extend the life?
Identify circumstances that can shorten the life of the system
• Changes in statute and rule
• Supply chain issues
• Under capitalized vendor; inexperienced vendor
• Poorly structured contract
• Rigid architecture
All Systems are Multi-Modal
All modern voting system are multi modal - that is
they will have to function as VBM, central count,
precinct count, accessible-voting, and online ballot
return, etc., over their lifetime
Require that flexibility in the architecture so you don't
have to retro-fit
Evaluate the candidate system against existing and
potential applications
Vendor Management
Have a Vendor Management Strategy
- Either you manage them, or they manage you
Vendors have a financial and ethical obligation to
their stockholders/owners – they have a
contractual obligation to the jurisdiction
Evaluate the extent to which the architecture and
related services make the jurisdiction captive to the
vendor(s)
What role should the vendor play in the context of the
new system?
The Known Unknowns
There is a body of knowledge regarding the
uncertainty and risks associated with voting
systems
We don’t know the answers to all existing risks, and
certainly don’t know the answers to emerging risks
and threats
In many cases the risks are identified without
mention of corresponding methods of mitigation
The Known Unknowns
Know the issues, know their relevance, set your
priorities
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Security
Accessibility
Auditability
Usability
Voter convenience
Transparency of process
Testing and Certification
Summary
“No sensible decision can be made any
longer without taking into account not only
the world as it is, but the world as it will be.”
~ Isaac Asimov
Decide if you are “replacing” a system or
acquiring a “new” system.
Conclusion
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Know your history
Know your future
Know your priorities
Know your options
Get help if you need it
Merle S. King
[email protected]