News & Insights
We’re Making History in Real Time.
Our timely insights share informed perspectives on the rapidly evolving story of Election Technology, as it unfolds.
Automatic Voter Registration: Oregon Governor Signs Bill to "Just Do it."
Oregon relying on its pioneering heritage and Nike spirit says, "Just Do It" for automatic voter registration. And this move seems to provide a worked example for our CTO's recent blog post about the technical simplicity to do so. Oregon already being a vote-by-mail state with online voter registration to boot, was likely able to benefit from those prior innovations. But regardless, as our Foundation's Secretary and General Counsel points out in this post, its a smart move...
How to Link Driving Records with Voting Records
Linking DMV and Voter records is not as complicated as one might assume. Our Chief Technology Officer offers some insight to the simple steps required and some comments about the effort being more about process than product.
State Certification of Future Voting Systems — 3 Points of Departure
This is a more technical post than others here given the broadening of an audience visiting this Foundation web site in search for content like this article below rather than hanging out on our more geeky Project site (which is soon to be relaunched and be way more engaging for all audiences, we're excited to report). Usually, you will find this kind of content over there, while here we'll talk more about voting experience innovations, policy matters, and progress of the Project. So, for those who are passionate about elections reform and improving the voting experience, but are not as fluent in some of the technical issues, feel free to look this over, but do not fret if seems like gobbledygook. There is more relevant stuff for your concerns to come. Ready? Here we go...
Election Tech Innovation Starts with the Procurement Process
Philadelphia City Commissioner Stephanie Singer is our guest commentator today, reflecting on the challenges of injecting real innovation into the procurement process. So, in her words, Madam Commissioner Singer...
Advancing Election Data Standards: View From the Trenches
Elections data standards are essential to delivering real innovation. The annual Election Data Standards meeting opened today in Los Angeles, CA. We thought we'd give you an overview of just what in the hec this is about and why its essential to creating a voting experience that's easy, convenient, and dare we say delightful. Dry? Kinda. But a peek at the real in the trenches work we're doing. Yep.
iVoting: The Estonia Experience Cannot Be an American Expectation …Anytime Soon
A long form look on the Estonian iVoting experience and our thoughts on why it’s not feasible here at home.
Biting the Bitcoin; Reflections on the Latest "Bitvote" Buzz
In those continuing efforts to route around the abysmal state of voting in America, we're starting to hear an increasing drumbeat about Bitcoin as a basis for reinventing elections. We've been watching this discussion or evangelism unfold in the past few weeks. We even fielded questions from politicos in the Beltway this past week about it (seriously).
As technocrats at heart around here, how can we not have our tails in a slow wag over the potential of Bitcoin technology (specifically the Block Chain)? Well, a slow wag maybe; getting our tails in a twist over it for voting? Not so much. And here's why.
Its Our Birthday! A Reflection on How We Do What We Do
Wow. How time flies. Its our birthday this week! (Monday the 17th to be precise; it was a Friday in November 2006.) We are 8-years old! You know, that's a long life by the measure of most commercial technology ventures. But a bit different as a non-profit technology venture. So, we wanted to post something today in honor of our birthday and the progress we've made. Please read on...
A Great Way to Help Our Project While You Shop
Amazon and the OSET Foundation are teaming up this holiday to help public fund raising for the TrustTheVote Project. Read about this simple awesome way to help the cause of a better voting experience while you shop.
The Moose Lurking in the Room
To hec with the elephant (regardless of who you think will control Congress after election day), the real beast in the room may be a Moose -- Alaska style. Our CTO notes an article from yesterday that points out how Alaska's close U.S. senatorial race, combined with their allowing ballots to be digitally returned across the Internet, may pose the greatest threat to a derailed election we've seen yet.
But the real point John makes is that sadly, Alaskan voters may not even be aware of the risks and who in this case is watching over their ballots -- at least those returned in the inherently insecure manner of the Internet, no matter how "secure" the "experts" are claiming the process to be. If the ballot return system in Alaska were truly as secure as their vendor claims, then Banks would be using their methods, and the massive amounts of hacked customer personal information at major brands this year might have been alleviated. Have a look and give us your take.
OSET Featured on TechCrunch
OSET Foundation Board Member Chris Kelly, a Silicon Valley venture investor and philanthropist, and former Facebook exec, pens an op-ed for TechCrunch on the Election Day 2014.
Into the (Voting) Wild
Alaska will allow absentee voters to submit their ballot via a "secure online voting solution", aka e-mail. We're holding our breath.
Our Midterm 2014 Election Predictions
Disruptions. Glitches. Delays. Oh My! We make our predictions for the voting snags you should expect on Election Day.
Ballots Are the "ROI" of Campaign Financing
The Center for Responsive Politics (“CRP”), OpenSecrets.Org published an article Tuesday detailing the jaw-dropping amount of money that has been invested already, and what is likely to be spent on this midterm election campaign cycle. CRP is projecting that almost $4B will be expended on this election cycle.
Presumably, all that spending is to encourage voters to cast ballots in favor of the candidate or cause the spending is directed at advocating. But what is the impact of that spending if the systems on which those ballots are cast and counted are literally falling apart? We submit that ballots are actually the "ROI" of campaign financing. And if one gives to any campaign, they ought to also commensurately support efforts to improve HOW America vote. You see, today, how America votes is now just as important as who or what America votes for...
On the Civic Technology Landscape, the TrustTheVote Project is an Atypical Structure, Part Two
The second of two blog posts exploring how the TrustTheVote Project fits in the "civic tech" landscape.
Roundup of the Roundtable on Reinventing.
The TrustTheVote Project CDO Greg Miller joined a panel of technology experts for a lively discussion on ways technology can expand the way citizens interact with their elected officials and their governement.
Three-Step Test for "Open Source"
To our elections official stakeholders, Chief Technology Officer John Sebes covers a point that seems to be popping up in discussions more and more. There seems to be some confusion about what "open source" means in the context of software used for election administration or voting. That's understandable, because some election I.T. folks, and some current vendors, may not be familiar with the prior usage of the term "open source" -- especially since it is now used in so many different ways to describe (variously), people, code, legal agreements, etc. So, John hopes to get our Stakeholders back to basics on this.
On the Civic Technology Landscape, the TrustTheVote Project is an Atypical Structure
So where does the TrustTheVote Project fit in the broader “civic tech” movement that so many people in the technology world write and talk about? This is the first of two posts on this thought.