Conformity Magazine - October 2008 - (Page 24)

by working on a different level, the level of coordinated processes. Total System Improvement The election system has received almost no system design or operational engineering, and opportunities for total system improvement abound. However, the diverse and distributed nature of the system makes coordinating such efforts particularly difficult. A central issue facing elections is analyzing what it is ultimately dependent upon. Paper ballots relied on the ability of people to accurately count them. For security, election administration procedures were relied upon to assure that the ballots cast were accurately counted and included in the vote tallies. Unfortunately, the system of people, paper and procedures had a high rate of inaccuracy, human error and were susceptible to malicious tampering and fraud. To reduce human error, automation was introduced. Voting machines dramatically improved the situation by replacing counts by people with machine counting. Security was improved by creating multiple separate electronic records of each vote. Multiple records makes it much harder to commit fraud because, to be successful, all copies must be changed. However, computerized voting systems have their own problems and vulnerabilities. In general, the debate has been framed (largely by the popular media) as a choice between people and paper or computer systems. This is a false dichotomy, and one that has drawn attention and resources away from a much more important exploration. The more productive question is “What is the best combination of people, procedures and electronic system to achieve the best total result?” What is starting to emerge is a “4–vote” system. Increasingly, the following elements provide checks and balances to assure secure and accurate elections: • People following election administration procedures; • Computer-based voting systems; • Historical trends and polls; • Independent system audit and computer forensic evidence. The coordination of people and voting systems following well-develop election administration procedures is relatively solid. It is the last two elements that are less understood, especially the growing role of computer forensic techniques in elections. An enormous and sophisticated body of expertise has been developed to help candidates running for office. Historical voting trends are maintained, often down to the individual precinct level. Polls help candidates judge how well their campaign efforts are fairing. We are all familiar with exit polls and other mechanisms for monitoring voters’ opinions. What is often unrecognized is the roll this plays in election security. When election results come in that are out of line Figure 2: The Election Assistance Commission is responsible for supervising how the VSTLs apply the general test methods to specific voting systems, and for the quality and accuracy of the evaluations they perform. 2 Conformity oCtober 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Conformity Magazine - October 2008

Conformity Magazine - October 2008 Contents Editor's Note FCC Releases Annual Report on National Do-Not-Call Registry Commission Cracks Down (for the Fourth Time!) On Junk Fax Marketer FCC Releases Quarterly Reports on Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Greenpeace Ranks Electronics Manufacturers Standards List For The EU’s Energy Consumption Directive Published EU Commission Publishes Standards List for Directives on Pressure Equipment, Pressure Vessels Standards List for the EU’s Medical Devices Directive Available The IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society: The First Five Years ESD Open Forum Improving Election Security and Accuracy: The Future of Voting System Certification Conformity Assessment and Accreditation: Their Role in the Global Market Design Issues in Extreme EMC Environment Focus On... Test Equipment Buyers Guide Product News Updated Standards List for EU Directive on Active Implantable Medical Devices FDA Warns of Effects from CT Scans on Electronic Medical Devices FDA Provides Report Card on Its PMA Review Process CPSC Releases Import Safety Strategy Other CPSC Actions in the News IEC Standards Update Product Reviews UL Standards Update Telcordia Standards Update From Our “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.