Comments on: Who Says Electronic Voting is Safe? http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/diebold/who-says-electronic-voting-is-safe.htm Going where no blog has gone before. Fri, 21 May 2010 00:53:03 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Zoe Brain http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/diebold/who-says-electronic-voting-is-safe.htm/comment-page-1#comment-11921 Zoe Brain Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:15:12 +0000 http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/?p=328#comment-11921 How to do it - Have standard hardware, commercial off-the-shelf, so there's no "trade secrets" involved. If not, have open-source hardware made to the same security standards as automatic teller machines. Have independent checks and testing by academic institutions - and anyone else who wants to. Have the source code "open source" so anyone can look at it, and the electoral officials verify both before and after that that was the system used. <a href="http://www.elections.act.gov.au/elections/electronicvoting.html" rel="nofollow">Example</a>. Note that you too can download the source code. Anyone can. It's all open for any concerned group to have a look at. Security for the machines is exactly the same as the security for the parallel paper system, and anyone who wants to can use a paper ballot instead. Disclaimer: I worked for Software Improvements when they made the ACT electoral system, though I wasn't directly involved. I was too busy making satellites. I did however work on the BILBY model compiler, which in future versions will directly take the specifications in Unified Modelling language and translate them into Ada-2005 code. This is the same language used in Avionics and Satellites, and is designed to be particularly clear to read and find flaws in. A system built using BILBY was used to collect votes over a Defence-Grade secure network from servicemen and women overseas, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. How NOT to do it..... Proprietary (and trade-secret) hardware running trade-secret software with only those chosen few granted access to test. Anything running over a non-secure network (ie less than full military encryption and both-end verification, unless physically secured over the entire cable run) I note the Wikipedia article doesn't mention either the <a href="http://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/e_voting/index.htm" rel="nofollow">Australian Electoral Commission's experience</a> with the systems, nor <a href="http://www.softimp.com.au/evacs/index.html" rel="nofollow">Software Improvements</a> as a manufacturer. I have to be careful about "bad mouthing" the competition, but the best way to show that the system works is to let anyone see the internals, and verify things for themselves. How to do it -

Have standard hardware, commercial off-the-shelf, so there’s no “trade secrets” involved. If not, have open-source hardware made to the same security standards as automatic teller machines.

Have independent checks and testing by academic institutions – and anyone else who wants to.

Have the source code “open source” so anyone can look at it, and the electoral officials verify both before and after that that was the system used.

Example.

Note that you too can download the source code. Anyone can. It’s all open for any concerned group to have a look at.

Security for the machines is exactly the same as the security for the parallel paper system, and anyone who wants to can use a paper ballot instead.

Disclaimer: I worked for Software Improvements when they made the ACT electoral system, though I wasn’t directly involved. I was too busy making satellites.

I did however work on the BILBY model compiler, which in future versions will directly take the specifications in Unified Modelling language and translate them into Ada-2005 code. This is the same language used in Avionics and Satellites, and is designed to be particularly clear to read and find flaws in. A system built using BILBY was used to collect votes over a Defence-Grade secure network from servicemen and women overseas, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

How NOT to do it…..

Proprietary (and trade-secret) hardware running trade-secret software with only those chosen few granted access to test. Anything running over a non-secure network (ie less than full military encryption and both-end verification, unless physically secured over the entire cable run)

I note the Wikipedia article doesn’t mention either the Australian Electoral Commission’s experience with the systems, nor Software Improvements as a manufacturer.

I have to be careful about “bad mouthing” the competition, but the best way to show that the system works is to let anyone see the internals, and verify things for themselves.

]]> By: Shari M. http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/diebold/who-says-electronic-voting-is-safe.htm/comment-page-1#comment-11277 Shari M. Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:15:59 +0000 http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/?p=328#comment-11277 While the problems with the voting machines are well documented, there are many other ways attempts will be made to steal this election. I have heard directly from people in Florida about ways it was done there in the 2000 election. For example, they would fix streets surrounding polling places in predominately Democratic areas, and block the street around them. Voters are being challenged, and voter suppression is already a hot topic. I have already cast my vote by mail, and it was good did because I am visiting a sick friend in North Carolina, and may not have been able to vote in my home state of Colorado if I had not arranged previously to vote by mail. The American people must be vigilant on Election Day to be sure the election isn't stolen - again. While the problems with the voting machines are well documented, there are many other ways attempts will be made to steal this election. I have heard directly from people in Florida about ways it was done there in the 2000 election. For example, they would fix streets surrounding polling places in predominately Democratic areas, and block the street around them. Voters are being challenged, and voter suppression is already a hot topic. I have already cast my vote by mail, and it was good did because I am visiting a sick friend in North Carolina, and may not have been able to vote in my home state of Colorado if I had not arranged previously to vote by mail. The American people must be vigilant on Election Day to be sure the election isn’t stolen – again.

]]> By: Karen http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/diebold/who-says-electronic-voting-is-safe.htm/comment-page-1#comment-10577 Karen Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:51:29 +0000 http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/?p=328#comment-10577 Also very interesting is the Wikipedia article on Electronic Voting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voting One particular item of note from that entry: "The Premier Election Solutions (formerly Diebold Election Systems) AccuVote-TSx voting system was studied by a group of Princeton University computer scientists in 2006. Their results showed that the AccuVote-TSx could be 'installed with vote-stealing software in under a minute.' The scientists also said that machines can transmit computer viruses from one to another 'during normal pre- and post-election activity.'" Also very interesting is the Wikipedia article on Electronic Voting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voting

One particular item of note from that entry:

“The Premier Election Solutions (formerly Diebold Election Systems) AccuVote-TSx voting system was studied by a group of Princeton University computer scientists in 2006. Their results showed that the AccuVote-TSx could be ‘installed with vote-stealing software in under a minute.’ The scientists also said that machines can transmit computer viruses from one to another ‘during normal pre- and post-election activity.’”

]]> By: Karen http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/diebold/who-says-electronic-voting-is-safe.htm/comment-page-1#comment-10560 Karen Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:28:44 +0000 http://www.monicahelms.com/blog/?p=328#comment-10560 For some interesting information on Premier Election Solutions (the Diebold subsidiary that make its voting machines), see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_Election_Solutions For some interesting information on Premier Election Solutions (the Diebold subsidiary that make its voting machines), see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_Election_Solutions

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