Week 8 Discussion

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DeSales University *

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201

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Information Systems

Date

Feb 20, 2024

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Uploaded by Dutch21

1. Is there more than one security concern here? When it comes to using technology with voting there are multiple security concerns both domestic and international and we saw this firsthand in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Elections play a vital role in a free and fair society and is a cornerstone of American democracy (Zetter, 2018). Today we have multiple different ways of voting resulting in multiple different security concerns. Some of these concerns include hacking from cyber threats for personal or propaganda uses, errors within voter registration databases and internal fraud issues resulting in election fraud by deceiving votes (What is Election Security, 2022). In her discussion, Kim Zetter speaks about the concern of whether my vote is being counted correctly, which is a big concern that most Americans have. There is no guarantee that it is, or it is not from Zetter’s article, but the debate continues below. Is my vote being counted correctly? This question sways the way you think about elections and your thoughts on American democracy. For me, I believe that my vote and every person who voted is counted correctly whether your vote in person or vote through mail and absentee ballots. Today, you can make sure your vote is counted by tracking your vote through your appropriate state tracking information (Zoch, 2021). Zetter however may disagree with me. She speaks about two concerns and occasions that can occur within mail in ballots and hacking the machines used to cast and tally votes (Zetter, 2018). I am looking forward to hearing what others in our class voice on this question. Is voting data open to unauthorized access? Yes, voting data and voting technology can be open to unauthorized access. Bev Harris and a John Hopkins scientist found several security problems with using encryption codes and hard coded in software’s that can allow hackers or unauthorized personal access to voting data and voting deception (Zetter, 2018). Like I mentioned above, when using technology there is always a possibility of hackers or security issues within voting machines. Is there a verifiable audit trail - which States audit votes (or are capable of auditing votes)? Yes, as of recent policies and audits have been placed to help with different audits that can occur during elections. The postelection audits, however, are the audits that some states don’t conduct, which in my opinion is a big issue. Between the voting machines and mail in ballots and hundreds of thousands of votes coming in, each state needs to conduct post audits to determine the accuracy and efficiency of the election results (Zoch, 2018). According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 43 states conduct some sort of postelection audit. These states audit examine a fixed percentage of voting machines and examine and compare them with paper records produced by the voting machines (Zoch, 2018). The question is raised however, how accurate is the data that these audits are using to determine election results?

Are there ways of changing the voter rolls (who is registered to vote)? Hackers can register and change voters’ registration from their name, address, political party and other personal information to cause voters to have frustration when trying to vote whether that is in person or through main in ballots. They also can change important information regarding their voting location that can also cause voters to not be able to vote at their convenient location, making it again challenging to vote (Zetter, 2018). Are there ways of suppressing votes, using these systems? As voting has evolved suppressing votes has become more and more real from our own government and state laws. In recent years, over 400 anti-voters bills have been introduced creating barriers for people to vote. Some suppression efforts have been stricter voter ID laws and mass purges of voter rolls and systemic disenfranchisement. Suppressing votes impacts people of color, students, elderly, and people of disabilities, which is a large portion of voters (Block the Vote: How Politicians are Trying to Block Voters from the Ballot Box, 2021). o Who has access to the computerized voter rolls, to the voting machine terminals, and to the machines used to count/tally votes? Every state has requirements to see who can access voters rolls, voting machines and able to count/tally votes. The information these individuals have access to are individuals’ personal information and their count/tally of who they voted for (Access to and Use of Voter Registration Lists, 2022). In my opinion, I believe that we need a federal bodying group that helps convey who has proper authority to do so. This will help eliminate some efforts of voting fraud and voting suppression and give a more accurate result. o How can these machines be accessed? Is this a good idea? These voting machines are accessed through the internet and wireless modems that produce unofficial results (Zetter, 2018). This is not a good idea and increased the vulnerability of those systems of being hacked. The increased opportunities for criminals, hackers and both domestic and international attackers to gain access to voting machines, voting results and manipulate and disrupt elections (Why Is Internet Connectivity a Problem, 2022).

o If someone were to demand voting authentication records after an election, could that data be used to conduct a secure audit of the vote? Why/why not? Conducting post-election audits is very challenging, seven starts currently do not run any post- election audit. Generally, state have their own rules and policies when counting votes. States are required to do multiple recounts if the margin of victory is close to ensure a correct winner. With some states not conducting post audits, it would be challenging to collect the data to impact election results (Zoch, 2021). In my opinion, states need to reevaluate their entire voting process to ensure more accurate data leading to accurate results, which will lead to having more secure audits to ensure election results. o What are the main security concerns here - and what would you do, to fix these issues? The main security concern in American elections today are the accuracy and safety of our voting machines. During the past two presidential elections the issue with voting machines has been raised whether they are being tampered with and if they are safe from hackers both domestic and international. American’s right to vote is the backbone of our democracy being able to voice opinions about the issues and needs wanted. Making sure our vote is being collected and tallied correctly without disputations coming from any technology issues within the voting machines. Private companies build these voting machines without proper federal testing and can allow easier access from experience hackers to manipulate election results (Zetter, 2018). To fix these issues, the federal government needs to set precise voting requirements in testing these machines and making sure that they are not vulnerable to domestic and international attacks, and we need to make sure only the correct people are gaining access to voting machine data and results and no faulty human intervention is disrupting election results (What is Election Security, 2022).

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Week 8 Discussion

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