Apr 15, 2011 by rebecca mercuri phd in the aftermath of the controversial 2000 presidential election, the help america vote act was enacted, which among other initiatives provided funds for the procurement of new voting systems. Few people the security expert rebecca mercuri being the notable exception thought much about the mechanics. Tuesdays florida primary election marked its first largescale rollout of tens of thousands of brandnew voting machines that were promised to resolve the problems of the 2000 presidential election. Such firmware reprogrammability represents a major security and auditability risk. Rebecca mercuri is the founder of notable software, inc. Computer science, 79, credits her penn state education as a sturdy foundation that has been built upon during her career.
Computers are good for many things, but at the same time we need to be cautious. In midseptember, a few days after yet another problemridden election in florida, rebecca mercuri got a phone call from janet reno. Rebecca mercuri authors the featured security watch column for the communications of the association for computing machinery. The role of standards page 9 prev page top of doc tuesday, may 22, 2001 witness list dr. If a machines not functioning, then it might not be able to shut itself down, dr. Articles will be linked here in html containing interactive links and pdf best for printing formats as they appear. Rebecca mercuri s statement on electronic voting, by rebecca mercuri. Stephen ansolabehere professor of political science, massachusetts institute of technology. Rebecca mercuri, a computer scientist and a research fellow at harvard who has long questioned the security in electronic voting systems, says that. Rebecca mercuri the owner and cto of notable software. Previous w ork on evoting department of computer science. Not only do we need to look at voting methods, we also need to look at the voting laws. The software development process can benefit from the use of established standards and procedures to assess compliance with specified objectives, and reduce the risk of undesired behaviors.
Jan 05, 2017 some problems with the fec standard included the lack of a requirement that vote tallies be independently auditable, the allowance of tradesecret code that may not be able to be inspected should an election contest question the proper functionality of a voting system, the use of commercial software products in balloting and tabulation systems. Rebecca mercuri, president of notable software inc. One such solution, soon to be mandated in several states, is a voterverified paper trail. Kennedy school of government at harvard, proposed a. The case was notable for featuring as evidence images of internetfamous camgirl lolichan. Among others, peter neumann, principal scientist at sri internationals computer science laboratory and a leading expert on the risks associated with high technology, and rebecca mercuri, a. Rebecca mercuris 8 statement on electronic voting highlights some of these concerns. Americas love affair with paperless voting is over. She expresses concern about the fact that there is no standard electronic ballot format. The recent california internet voting task force report is also examined with regard to its security shortcomings. She frequently testifies as an expert witness on computer security and voting systems. Apparently the president obama has decided that doing so would only encourage certain other nations to do the same. Rebecca mercuri, the president of the consulting firm notable software and an authority on electronic voting tabulation, said. Some problems with the fec standard included the lack of a requirement that vote tallies be independently auditable, the allowance of tradesecret code that may not be able to be inspected should an election contest question the proper functionality of a voting system, the use of commercial software products in balloting and tabulation systems.
Americas voting fraud worst machines hanging chad vote fraud. Internet voting, open source software, encryption, access controls, trust, data, and secure channels. Rebecca mercuri is an energetic person who can be counted upon to carry through on any commitment she makes in a variety of fields, from computer music to computer security to computer forensics. Electronic voting may be risky, but what about vote counting. Accessible voterverified paper audit trails, sometimes called the mercuri method after researcher and evoting expert rebecca mercuri, who first mapped the system. Roy saltman consultant on election policy and technology dr.
Were concerned, said rebecca mercuri, formerly a professor of computer science at bryn mawr and now the president of notable software, a consulting firm. When we do an audit in the computer, we record every single action and transaction that goes along. New york state board of elections and concerned ny citizens from. Are there sufficient procedures in place to guard against. Rebecca mercuri, a computer scientist and founder of the consulting firm notable software, inc. Dan lopresti,will announce the recent purchase and study. As a result, the elections were extended by 2 hrs, but some polling places did not receive the news, and closed early.
Votingmachine makers would not be forced to follow them. Touch voting a worry hazards haunt new hightech machines. Jul 07, 2016 electronic voting may be risky, but what about vote counting. Rebecca mercuri is a computer scientist specializing in computer security and computer. May 2006 communications of the acm, volume 49, issue 5. Mercuri is wellknown for having provided testimony in the bush v. Rebecca mercuri 37 invented the mercuri method for. Standardize voting, experts tell congress notable software. Sep 29, 2003 another case of electronic votetampering. The crisis of election security the new york times. Rebecca mercuri imagined the mercury technique for electronic democratic 5. Voting online might enable citizens to vote even if they are unable to get to the.
Electronic vote tabulation checks and balances by rebecca t. One of the experts, rebecca mercuri founder and ceo of notable software, inc. Notable software is a consulting firm specializing in computer forensics, security and expert witness testimony. After highlighting proposed congressional legislation to give consumers more control and protection of. Evoting is not secure now and will never be in the foreseeable future, says guest blogger and security specialist rebecca mercuri. Not only does this testing lack rigour, but it only marginally complies with florida election law. Many voters, including candidates, experienced delays from the new touchscreen machines not working. If the major software manufacturer in the world cannot not protect its own company and products from an internet attack, one must understand that voting systems created by this firm or others will be no better and probably will be. We report on issues like prosecutorial misconduct, sheriff and district attorney misconduct, misconduct in. Rebecca mercuri has been referred to as one of the leading international experts on electronic voting. She is a founding board member of the acm princeton chapter.
May 15, 2003 were concerned, said rebecca mercuri, formerly a professor of computer science at bryn mawr and now the president of notable software, a consulting firm. Rebecca mercuri commented on how the fl 2002 primary election went with all the money, new technologies, and promises issued. Trust, transparency, democracy mercuri supports her strong views on electronic voting with solid and impressive credentials in computing. But some experts worry that despite rigorous testing, the machines may not be as. Her main fields of emphasis are interactive multimedia and computer forensics. The organization for security and cooperation in europe. Comments on draft of subtitle v, part 6209, vss ny state i was asked to provide input on the subtitle v, part 6209, voting systems standards document currently being compiled by the new york state board of elections. Theyre not auditable, says rebecca mercuri, a software consultant in mercer county, nj, whose phd dissertation at the university of pennsylvania was on. Rebecca mercuri whos who in rca videodisc ced magic. She has conducted research related to electronic voting issues since 1989 and is recognized internationally as one of the leading experts on this subject.
Michael alvarez, codirector of the voting technology project and professor of political science at the california institute of. New york state board of elections and concerned ny. The problem with the ovc model, says rebecca mercuri, owner of computer security firm notable software, in philadelphia, is that while ovc may be more secure than todays proprietary systems, it. Rebecca mercuri is the owner of notable software, inc. Experts weigh cyber threats to critical infrastructure. Inside risks 9, cacm 45, 1, january 2002 uncommon criteria rebecca mercuri. Rebecca mercuri, one of the worlds leading computer security and voting specialists, joins us to discuss voting machine security for the state of connecticut. Links within the html versions may not necessarily currently reflect the same material. On the other hand, recent experience suggests that relying on computer software can be problematical, from the recent breakin at microsoft, to the rash of global email viruses, and even the hacking of candidates websites. Apr 26, 2004 in 2001 congressional testimony, rebecca mercuri, a computer voting expert now at harvard, warned that electronic balloting systems are at the mercy of the people who build, program and maintain. How they could steal the election this time the nation. He explained that the state election codes were written in. Optical scanning systems grew in popularity during the past decade, particularly in. Rebecca mercuri, an expert on electronic voting machines and a research fellow at harvards kennedy.
Find contact and company information for business people in our free business information database. Mercuri is a member of the computer science faculty at bryn mawr college, and is president of notable software, inc. The criteria provides for assessment of system dependencies, but does not account for counterindications. Currently she is authoring a book on digital forensic investigations from the standpoint of criminal defense. The founder of notable software, a consulting firm specializing in computer security issues, shes spending her year at radcliffe researching methods of counterbalancing transparency and trust in. The palm beach county machines were running new software too, since the firmware on each of their 3400 machines was reprogrammed just weeks before the fall primary. Rebecca mercuri, phd, president of notable software, inc.
Jul 30, 2003 the theft of your vote is just a chip away. A critical component of this method is very similar to the caltechmit proposal. A technology specialist, rebecca defended her doctoral. To reconnect the wires into their harness requires opening up the terminal a procedure that is not allowed during an election. Computers are not really very good at doing anonymous things that are also accurately audited. Do voter verified paper audit trails disenfranchise. Rebecca mercuri 37 invented the mercuri method for electronic. Do voter verified paper audit trails disenfranchise disabled. By rebecca mercuri page 1 of 2 pages view how many people read this 24 comments. Mercuri explains that election software belongs to the class of. Hawaiis instant runoff voting legislation veto needed. The case was notable for featuring as evidence images of internetfamous camgirl loli chan. Its nothing new, says rebecca mercuri, a security consultant who studied voting systems for her 1999 doctoral dissertation.
Therefore, a computer ballot can be made to cause more confusion. Rebecca mercuri offers her suggestions for improvements in the way accuvote os voting machines are used in terms of security protocols, automatic hand recounts, and vendors. For a good overview of the subject, search for these first and read the text at their adjacent links. The software on these devices didnt have to undergo testing and. Mar 02, 2004 one such solution, soon to be mandated in several states, is a voterverified paper trail. Optical scanning systems grew in popularity during the past decade, particularly in smaller counties. But some experts worry that despite rigorous testing, the machines may not. Woodbridge felt that such testing would be unfair to sequoia if it were not also applied to the other applicant systems. As this website is rather long, ive highlighted certain must read papers and articles using red asterisks. Apr 23, 2008 rebecca mercuri, phd, president of notable software, inc.
In 1981, rebecca mercuri founded notable software a company that has evolved along with the everchanging computer industry. Rebecca mercuri s session reinforced the high caliber of presentations and discussions at the 2014 cybersecurity forum, said lawrence gordon, smiths ey alumni professor of managerial accounting, who coordinated. Our founder, rebecca mercuri, is one of the worlds leading computer security. Officials need to be able to recount ballots, trace problems, and eliminate errors. Nj examination hearing of sequoia wineds software 3. She also speaks frequently on digital audio topics. Apr 28, 2004 but according to harvard research fellow rebecca mercuri, a computer scientist who has worked elections for two decades, the certification tests look for logic errors and votecounting mistakes. In the context of todays voting systems, voter authenticity are typically handled procedurally, initially by presentation of a birth certificate or other means of supposed identification. A technology specialist, rebecca defended her doctoral dissertation electronic vote tabulation. People see internet voting as a solution, says rebecca mercuri, an expert on voting security. Once heralded as the solution to most election woes, our affinity for the paperless voting technology has dimmed. Sequoia edge a model of electronic voting machine can be reprogrammed through a port on the voting machine kiosk.
Standardize voting, experts tell congress by mike martin, upi science correspondent washington, may 22 upi in testimony before the house science committee today, a panel of scientific experts called for standardization of the nations confusing array of voting procedures and technologies. Mercuri has been actively involved with the assessment of voting systems since 1989. They were then able to disconnect these wires without causing any damage. Major new investigation of electronic voting machines the coalition of voting integrity, along with dr. Court of appeals in the proceedings following the 2000 united states presidential election, and was mentioned in a brief presented to the supreme court for the bush v.
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