This isn't the first time the Bush Adminstration has done this. There was another technical commission where a member was purged because the White House believed he had donated to Al Gore. Except he hadn't - he had the same name as someone who had. I'm sorry I can't recall the name or the panel.
We're pretty much at: "Well, it's nice that he won the Nobel Prize and all, but I see he donated $100 to a Democrat once. (Or heck, maybe John McCain...) So I don't think he's right for this board to investigate the nation's cancer effort... or a space shuttle disaster.. "
How about:
The machine spits out a receipt showing the votes.
The voter inspects, then places it in a box for the election official.
Box of clean, reliably cast votes is available for hand-recounts.
This has an interview with one of the poor blokes responsible for setting up the machines, and downloading untested patches to them so they could be shipped out.
He describes the typical "there's a deadline" software nightmare, of placing untested patches on untested patches, and of machines that were broken in a different way on every reboot.
Embarrassing enough if you're a dot-com. Horrifying when you're running an election.
Try to reconcile these comments with how the system is secure with the system that was described by Bev Harris... It is full of strawmen. I think my favorite part is that they'll keep it secure by never allowing patches to be applied to the Microsoft Windows OS.
- begin here -
Security in the Georgia Voting System Britain J. Williams, Ph.D. April 23, 2003 Introduction: The State of Georgia replaced all voting systems statewide with a computer-based voting system. This system, known as a direct recording electronic (DRE) voting system, was first used in the November 2002 election. This voting system, described in the next section, is computer based. As a result, questions have been raised regarding the vulnerability of the system to attacks by hackers and persons attempting election fraud.
Overall security of any computer-based system is obtained by a combination of three factors working in concert with each other. First, the computer system must provide audit data that is sufficient to track the sequence of events that occur on the system and, to the extent possible, identify the person(s) that initiated the events. Next, there must be in place well defined and strictly enforced policies and procedures that control who has access to the system, the circumstances under which they can access the system, and the functions that they are allowed to perform on the system. Finally, there must be in place physical security; fences, doors, locks, etc.; that control and limit access to the system. This article describes how these factors are incorporated into the election system in the State of Georgia.
Overview of the Georgia Voting System: The computer-based election system deployed in the State of Georgia is classified as a direct recording electronic (DRE) system. The components of the system consist of the following:
Standard personal computers running an executable module known as GEMS, Global Election Management System. This system, called the GEMS computer, is used to define the election, enter the candidates and questions, and format the ballots for the voting devices. This computer also accumulates the votes after the polls close and prints various reports and audits.
Touch-screen voting stations are used for in-person voting.
Optical ballot scanners are used for absentee and provisional voting.
Each county election office in the State is equipped with a GEMS computer. This computer is used to define elections and format the ballots for both the touch-screen voting stations and the absentee (paper) ballot scanners. The system also produces files that can be sent directly to a printer to print the absentee and provisional ballots.
When the election definition is complete, the GEMS system produces PCMCIA cards, also called PC memory cards, which are used to program the touch-screen voting stations and the ballot scanners. One card is produced for each voting station and ballot scanner. While still in the county warehouse the voting stations are arranged by precinct and the PC cards are inserted. In the days just before the election a series of tests called Logic and Accuracy tests are conducted. These tests are designed to confirm that the voting stations have been properly prepared for the election and that they correctly register all votes cast. These tests are open to the public. At the completion of the Logic and Accuracy tests the voting stations are sealed and delivered to the precincts.
On the morning of Election Day the Precinct Manager and Assistant Precinct Manager break the seals and prepare the voting stations for the election. The first step in this process is to print out a 'zero totals tape'. This tape verifies that no votes have been recorded on the voting stations prior to the opening of the polls. As the voters cast their ballots on a touch-screen voting station their choices are recorded on the PC memory card. The absentee ballots and provisional ballots are processed through ballot scanners and their votes are r
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This isn't the first time the Bush Adminstration has done this. There was another technical commission where a member was purged because the White House believed he had donated to Al Gore. Except he hadn't - he had the same name as someone who had. I'm sorry I can't recall the name or the panel.
We're pretty much at: "Well, it's nice that he won the Nobel Prize and all, but I see he donated $100 to a Democrat once. (Or heck, maybe John McCain...) So I don't think he's right for this board to investigate the nation's cancer effort... or a space shuttle disaster.. "
How about: The machine spits out a receipt showing the votes. The voter inspects, then places it in a box for the election official. Box of clean, reliably cast votes is available for hand-recounts.
The convenient part is that this code is reusable for any election where a member of the Family is running.
This has an interview with one of the poor blokes responsible for setting up the machines, and downloading untested patches to them so they could be shipped out.
He describes the typical "there's a deadline" software nightmare, of placing untested patches on untested patches, and of machines that were broken in a different way on every reboot.
Embarrassing enough if you're a dot-com. Horrifying when you're running an election.
Try to reconcile these comments with how the system is secure with the system that was described by Bev Harris... It is full of strawmen. I think my favorite part is that they'll keep it secure by never allowing patches to be applied to the Microsoft Windows OS.
- begin here -
Security in the Georgia Voting System
Britain J. Williams, Ph.D.
April 23, 2003
Introduction: The State of Georgia replaced all voting systems statewide with a computer-based voting system. This system, known as a direct recording electronic (DRE) voting system, was first used in the November 2002 election. This voting system, described in the next section, is computer based. As a result, questions have been raised regarding the vulnerability of the system to attacks by hackers and persons attempting election fraud.
Overall security of any computer-based system is obtained by a combination of three factors working in concert with each other. First, the computer system must provide audit data that is sufficient to track the sequence of events that occur on the system and, to the extent possible, identify the person(s) that initiated the events. Next, there must be in place well defined and strictly enforced policies and procedures that control who has access to the system, the circumstances under which they can access the system, and the functions that they are allowed to perform on the system. Finally, there must be in place physical security; fences, doors, locks, etc.; that control and limit access to the system. This article describes how these factors are incorporated into the election system in the State of Georgia.
Overview of the Georgia Voting System: The computer-based election system deployed in the State of Georgia is classified as a direct recording electronic (DRE) system. The components of the system consist of the following:
Standard personal computers running an executable module known as GEMS, Global Election Management System. This system, called the GEMS computer, is used to define the election, enter the candidates and questions, and format the ballots for the voting devices. This computer also accumulates the votes after the polls close and prints various reports and audits.
Touch-screen voting stations are used for in-person voting.
Optical ballot scanners are used for absentee and provisional voting.
Each county election office in the State is equipped with a GEMS computer. This computer is used to define elections and format the ballots for both the touch-screen voting stations and the absentee (paper) ballot scanners. The system also produces files that can be sent directly to a printer to print the absentee and provisional ballots.
When the election definition is complete, the GEMS system produces PCMCIA cards, also called PC memory cards, which are used to program the touch-screen voting stations and the ballot scanners. One card is produced for each voting station and ballot scanner.
While still in the county warehouse the voting stations are arranged by precinct and the PC cards are inserted. In the days just before the election a series of tests called Logic and Accuracy tests are conducted. These tests are designed to confirm that the voting stations have been properly prepared for the election and that they correctly register all votes cast. These tests are open to the public. At the completion of the Logic and Accuracy tests the voting stations are sealed and delivered to the precincts.
On the morning of Election Day the Precinct Manager and Assistant Precinct Manager break the seals and prepare the voting stations for the election. The first step in this process is to print out a 'zero totals tape'. This tape verifies that no votes have been recorded on the voting stations prior to the opening of the polls. As the voters cast their ballots on a touch-screen voting station their choices are recorded on the PC memory card. The absentee ballots and provisional ballots are processed through ballot scanners and their votes are r