The Texas Senate State Affairs Commitee held a hearing yesterday, May 17, on the implementation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Professor Dan Wallach and I testified on behalf of a voter-verifiable paper trail. (Without a paper trail, there is no good way to audit or recount the result of an election.)
Chairman Duncan asked county administrators sharp questions about what happens if there are discrepancies in the vote tally. Senator Nelson’s son has worked in computer security, and she asked questions that showed an understanding of the vulnerabilities and risks that affect computer systems.
The voter-verified paper trail got better reception in Senate State Affairs than at the House Elections Committee hearing on March 31, where the Representatives had a much earlier level of understanding about computer security. Chairwoman Denny dismissed evidence of problems with electronic voting systems in other states, even though the same systems are used in Texas as elsewhere in the country. We have more education to do in the House.
You can download and watch the video of the meeting here on the “lege-cam.”
Dan’s testimony is here
Electronic Voting Receives Funding
Whether you like the idea or not, electronic voting will soon be ubiquitous, and federal funding is being directed towards the effort to ensure its adoption. $7.5 million will be granted from the National Science Foundation over the next five years to…