CleverNickName's Journal: IEEE Members: Please Read!

This was just sent to me by my friend Cory Doctorow, who works for the EFF. I'll be posting this at WWdN Monday, but I wanted to get maximum exposure as quickly as possible. This is a SERIOUS issue. If you're reading this, and you know an IEEE member, please make sure they see this. If you have a weblog of your own, please consider copying this post and putting it there, too.

IEEE members: save democracy from a broken standards-committee!

The IEEE, normally the sobersided epitome of integrity and accountability, has had one of its standards-committees jump the tracks. The people who are writing the IEEE standard for voting machines have been doing their best to rig their deliberative process ot exclude input from non-vendors who want the standard to include performance metrics that will guard against electoral malfeasance. This is heavy stuff: the standard this committee produces will likely form the basis of the US goverment's voting-machine purchases (as well as those of governments abroad), and if there are holes in the standard today, they will be biting our democracies on the ass for decades. There's never been a clearer demonstration that "architecture is politics."

IEEE is better than this. If you're a member of the organization, please take a moment to read up on this disaster-in-the-making and then use the form at the EFF's action-center to write to the IEEE and ask them to investigate this -- before it's too late.

...instead of using this opportunity to create a performance standard, setting benchmarks for e-voting machines to meet with regards to testing the security, reliability, accessibility and accuracy of these machines, P1583 created a design standard, describing how electronic voting machines should be configured (and following the basic plans of most current electronic voting machines). Even more problematic, the standard fails to require or even recommend that voting machines be truly voter verified or verifiable, a security measure that has broad
support within the computer security community.

To make matters worse, EFF has received reports of serious procedural problems with the P1538 and SCC 38 Committee processes, including shifting roadblocks placed in front of those who wish to participate and vote, and failure to follow basic procedural requirements. We've heard claims that the working group and committee leadership is largely controlled by representatives of the electronic voting machine vendor companies and others with vested interests.

Here is a link to the EFF, with more information.

Consider it done

[Judg3]

Ok boss, I'll go post it now because I have nothing else to post on my site hehe. All I ask in return of this is a little note in your blog saying "In my opinion as a professional actor, Jeremy Pavleck's 10th grade performance as Claudius in Hamlet is absolutely the best I've ever seen in my entire life. It's a shame he stopped acting and went into CS more then 10 years ago, I really felt he could of been another me."

Well, ok, you don't have to do that. I'm just bored and wanted to type something. Anyway, off to post this.

This is too technical

[Snaller]

You should prepare a nontechnical explanation of this. :)

Here is your Rosetta Stone

[Safety Cap]

New fangled voting machines can go bad! The men who sell the machines paid off this guy so he won't check the machines to make sure they work right!

When you use the machines, they can change your vote! And you won't know!

Wil, er, CleverNickName, asked that members of the Slide-rule Club to please talk to the guys who can talk to the guy so he will make sure to check the machine! Won't someone think of the children!!!!

====12-year old AOLer speak follows====

NU FANGLAD VOTNG MACHIENS CAN GO BAD1!!11 WTF DA M

Re:Here is your Rosetta Stone

[Snaller]

Well, our voting machines here are ballpoint pens, not so easy to rig ;-)

But thanks for the clarification :)

Re:Here is your Rosetta Stone

[gwyrdd benyw]

Yes, thank god for the good old Canadian way, folded slips of paper and pens, along with an arms-length non-partisan electoral commission :) PS. I'm having a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer next week; I'll pass on the tales of woe from the US. Good luck, guys!

Re:Here is your Rosetta Stone

[Safety Cap]

Prey for our soles

Re:Here is your Rosetta Stone

[thinkninja]

I need new boots.

Voters are not stakeholders?

[Smallpond]

"Now it's time for all stakeholders, from local, state and federal election officials to equipment manufacturers, to tell us how to improve this definitive guide for those who make, buy and use voting equipment."

--Stephen Berger, chair of the IEEE Sponsoring Committee

You would think they might at least consult the League of Women Voters. I'd even settle for Jimmy Carter.