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Purdue Expert

Electronic voting, ballot counting safeguards

Written news tip below:
Electronic-only voting presents risk of inaccurate counts

Video at left, expert discusses:
• Vulnerabilities of electronic voting
• Ballot counting safeguards

News tip: Electronic-only voting presents risk of inaccurate counts

WEST LAFAYETTE - A Purdue University computer security expert says electronic voting includes the risk of fraud or computer malfunction that could cause voters to be skeptical of the results.

Measures can be taken, however, to protect the integrity of electronic voting, says Eugene H. Spafford, the executive director of Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security.

"Those of us who work in technology, particularly in the areas of security and liability, are very concerned about elections," Spafford says. "Our concern is that these electronic systems could be tampered with or, more likely, have problems with the software, and the results can't be audited or recounted if there is a question. If that were to happen, we can't have a do-over. The elections are already done. For a close election, this throws things into considerable doubt, possibly into the courts to decide the outcome.

"We can do better. We have technology that produces a paper version of the vote in addition to the electronic version."

Spafford, who has testified before Congress and served on federal and military boards and committees on cybersecurity, suggests a precinct-based optical scan system to ensure accurate vote counts. He says these steps could be taken without enormous cost and, in some cases, would be cheaper than methods in place.

The optical scan system is a setup in which voters either vote on a computer system that prints a ballot or manually fills out a ballot that goes through a scanner.

"This allows for quick counting, and it doesn't have the error of human counting," Spafford says. "At the same time, we have paper ballots as a backup and verification in case the counts come out very odd in some respect or in case there is some question."

More about Eugene H. Spafford,
Executive Director, Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security

Eugene Spafford is executive director of Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, one of the world's leading centers for research and education in areas of information security. His research has focused on issues related to securing computers, networks and their data against criminal activities and failures.

Spafford has testified before various Congressional committees, advised agencies within the executive branch and worked with the U.S. military. He has served on technical advisory boards for the president, the U.S. Air Force and the FBI Regional Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory.

Spafford is frequently quoted in national media on cybersecurity issues. He has been a source for ABC News, CNN, the BBC and Canadian Broadcasting Co., along with national and regional NPR radio. He has appeared on several documentaries and has been quoted in Newsweek, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and Times of London, among other publications.

Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu