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.
Mixed Bag: Voting System Vendors' Rhetoric on Open Source
The current voting system vendors recently released a paper on election technology and open source. As a pleasant surprise, it is a mixed bag, in that much of the report's rhetoric is asspecious as previously seen, but there are also signs of the vendors taking steps towards comprehending what the voting system market would be like, with open source digital voting technology.
Open Source and Disclosed Source: Both Good, but Different
Well, the issue of "source code disclosure" just keeps coming back at us. Here is the latest variant that needs some de-confusion: how are open source practices different from proprietary-systems vendors who voluntarily choose to disclose the source code of their software?
Transparency, Open Source, and Paper Ballots
I previously reported that "transparency" was key word for people's positive response to our our recent DC demonstration of our digital voter registration system (DVRS). There is also a similar transparency issue with voting systems, and voting systems also have another transparency issue around paper ballots; and then there is the issue of open source. Here's the how the 3-way connection works.
Where Open Source Requirements Fail in Voting Technology
It may surprise some readers to learn thatthere is one election technology reform situation where we are not in favor of open source as a solution. Yes, you read that right.
"Open Source" for Digital Voting Technology
Here's a question that came up a few times in our recent visit with the Congressional Internet Caucus: what exactly do you mean by open source? One variant of this question was: how can you expect to develop for real elections if you are operating as a "chaotic collective of flip-flop-wearing techno-hippies?"
It's a good question, and worth an detailed answer, which I ask you to read on our wiki (here) if you want the complete answer. But a short summary here is:
New York state supports Open Source voting systems
Interesting news: on 27 February, the New York State Board of Elections unanimously adopted a resolution that would provide for waiver of fees for certification testing of open source software. The official announcement says that the Board may elect to waive fees (that a vendor pays for examination of a voting system) if the vendor meets some specific conditions of proof that the system is open source.
Open Source Goes Ballistic
Validation.It’s a nice thing when you can get it. We may have unintentionally gained just a little today in a sideways sort of way.