BuzzFlash Reader Contribution

CONTRIBUTOR ARCHIVES  

We Need an Open Source Solution to Electronic Voting

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Ned Harrison

Over the last year or two I've read several articles which discuss the issue of Diebold and other companies who are creating the new voting technologies. Many of the complaints regarding these companies while valid, to my perspective fail to address the real problem with the new technologies. To the best of my knowledge these companies have one thing in common, they all use Proprietary and Closed Source Software.

From my perspective it does not matter what these companies do, there will always be uncertainties and doubt about the outcomes using these Closed and Proprietary Software. Even if a paper trail is generated, how do we know that the software doesn't "generate" an extra vote for candidate "Y" for every fifty votes which candidate "X" receives? In addition, governments will also face "lock ins" when, after choosing company "A," they find that even though the company's software is " unreliable," it cost too much to switch to company "B."

What Progressives need to do is insist that Governments buy or pay for the development of "Open Source" voting machine software. To be considered "Open Source," the writers of the program agree to release and make available to the public the source code from which the software is compiled. The main license which most software that has been released to the public has been released is called the General Public License or GPL. The most famous software released under the GPL is the Linux operating system.

There are several advantages to using Open Software. Everybody would have the legal right to look at the source code. With literally thousands of eyes looking at the source code, security flaws, bugs, and deliberate attempts to rig an election, would be quickly exposed. Anybody could, using identical machines, compile the software and compare the file with the governments compiled version and tell instantly if the two are not the same. Implying that someone in the government tampered with the source code before compiling and installing it. Finally, there would never be a "lock in" with open source. If Company A turns out to be unreliable, then the government could easily turn to Company B, at little or no extra cost, because Company B has the same right to the software as Company A.

I feel we need an Open Source solution for Electronic Voting. As Citizens, Progressives need to read up and know what Open Source and the GPL mean so we can effectively lobby our Government into adopting it. Open Source software should be as critical and required for electronic voting as a verifiable paper trail. Our Democracy deserves nothing less.

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION