CA Proposes Rigorous Voting Machine Testing

christian.einfeldt writes "During her successful campaign for California Secretary of State, newly-minted California Elections Czar Debra Bowen spoke repeatedly of the need to use free open source software in voting machines to ensure the integrity of California's elections. Now that Secretary Bowen is acting on that campaign pledge, closed-source voting machine vendor Diebold worries aloud that rejecting its black-box voting machines could snarl California's elections. Diebold's concerns come at the same time that it is suing Massachusetts for declining to purchase those same voting machines." Quoting: "California's elections chief is proposing the toughest standards for voting systems in the country, so tough that they could [have the result of banishing] ATM-like touch-screen voting machines from the state. For the first time, California is demanding the right to try hacking every voting machine with 'red teams' of computer experts and to study the software inside the machines, line-by-line, for security holes."

Oh, California

[$RANDOMLUSER]

I thought I read "Computer Associates Proposes Rigorous Voting Machine Testing", and my head started to hurt.

Good idea

[UbuntuDupe]

I agree with this proposal. They need to double -- perhaps, triple -- check to make sure the code works as intended.

But I also think CA has been otherwise prudent. For example, using Diebold instead of volunteer open source code. I mean, how can they afford all the volunteer labor?

Yet another CA standard...

[coolmoose25]

My car has "California" emissions and I live in Connecticut. This is just one example of how California mandates things for the rest of the country. They will set some standard for voting machines, and since the state is too big for voting machine companies to write off, it will end up becoming the defacto standard. I don't live in California for a reason (not the least of which their four seasons are Wildfire, Mudslide, Earthquake, and Smog). In California, they make you label everything, including restaurants, informing you that your food might cause cancer. Then they all go outside and breathe air they can see.

Waaaaay off topic, I know

[Anonymous Coward]

four seasons are Wildfire, Mudslide, Earthquake, and Smog

Boy, I'd like to see a shoji screen of these four seasons!

Re:Good

[Random BedHead Ed]

I'm shocked. Deibold generally tries very hard to avoid the appearance of bias or impropriety, and they offer quality e-voting products that they strive to improve in response to much-appreciated constructive criticism from the community. Whenever they fix an issue with their products, like the closed-source software or the easily-copied security key, they are quick to get the updates out and always thank the community for helping them to improve their products. Their recent suit against Massachusetts has given them a serious PR boost with other states. So yes, their response to this move really surprises me.

(Sorry if your sarcasm gland is asploding.)

Re:e-voting must be as strong as paper

[stratjakt]

Paper ain't all that strong. Hanging chads and whatnot. I'm sure electoral fraud goes all the way back to the first elections in greece.

We should elect a supreme ruler like Iran, the greatest nation on earth.

Re:novel idea

[gEvil (beta)]

Use pictures of candidates (and their names, of coz').

A picture of the candidate and the names of their cousins?

Re:novel idea

[noidentity]

"I smell a "Diebold sues California" /. headline coming."

I smell another "Diebold sues Massachusetts" /. headline first.

10% Failure Rate.

[Irvu]

Ahh but thanks to the intervention of well-paid lobbyists Federal standards make 10% an "acceptable rate of failure" for an election.

Re:In reference to my comment...

[avronius]

Thanks for drawing attention to my inability to avoid insulting someone while trying to set them at ease. Thanks, also, for implying that, by acknowledging that I am an insensitive clod, and being aware that I have a problem, and taking steps towards resolving that problem, I am somehow more of an insensitive clod than a non-self-confessed, non-help-seeking, run-of-the-mill insensitive clod, you insensitive clod.

Don't worry, I'm selling maps to the solution of that for those that couldn't follow ;)