Making Sure Every Vote Counts in the Digital Era:
The Need for Standards Mandating
Voter-Verified Paper Ballots
Sarah Rovito
2007 WISE Intern
August 3, 2007
Background
Changing Voting Technologies
Older Technologies
• Paper Ballots
• Lever Machines
• Punchcards
Newer Technologies
• Optically-Scanned Ballots
• Direct-Recording Electronic
(DRE) Systems
Voting Technologies Used by % of Counties
Percent of Counties
60
50
Percent
40
Punchcard
Datavote
Lever
Paper
Optical
Electronic
Mixed
30
20
10
0
1980
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
Year
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
Voting Technologies Used by % of Registered Voters
Percent of Registered Voters
50
45
40
35
Punchcard
Datavote
Lever
Paper
Optical
Electronic
Mixed
Percent
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1980
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
Year
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
Problem
While electronic voting systems hold promise for a
more accurate and efficient election process,
numerous entities have raised concerns about their
security and reliability, citing instances of weak
security controls, system design flaws, inadequate
system version control, inadequate security testing,
incorrect system configuration, poor security
management, and vague or incomplete voting system
standards, among other issues.
-David A. Powner and Randolph C. Hite,
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Problematic Elections
Florida All Over Again?
• March 2002 – Wellington City Council Race
– Too close to call with 78 unrecorded votes
• March 2002 – Boca Raton Mayoral Contest
– Incumbent Danciu places 3rd with 8% undervote
• November 2006 – FL-13 Congressional Race
– 18,000 unrecorded votes in Sarasota County
– Buchanan (R) beats Jennings (D) by 368 votes
Solution
Voter-Verified Paper Ballots
• Optical Scan or DRE System
• Voter affirms choices cast as intended
(VoterVerified, NOT Voter-Verifiable)
• Proof that the voter’s choices have been correctly
recorded, transmitted, and tallied
• Provide an independently auditable trail
• Should be used to produce official election
results, not only in event of recount
Standards
Federal Organizations/Nongovernmental Groups
• Federal Election Commission
– 1990 and 2002 Voting Systems Standards
– 2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines
• Carter-Baker Commission
– Building Confidence in U.S. Elections
• IEEE
– P1583 (failed proposed standard)
Federal Legislation
• Help America Vote Act of 2002
Current Legislation
H.R. 811 (Holt Bill)
• Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act
of 2007
• Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to
require voter-verified permanent paper ballots
• Compromise and further action?
S. 1487 (Feinstein Bill)
• Ballot Integrity Act of 2007
• Mirrors Holt Bill
Recommendations
Standards
• Voter-Verified Paper Ballots
• VVPB used for OFFICIAL
election results
• Continue to develop new,
accessible technology
Enforcement of Standards
• Legislation – Holt Bill?
• 2007 Voluntary Voting
System Guidelines
• GET INVOLVED!!!