smartphone voting is underway — inside the most radical voting system in america - document camera and projector

Two days after the mayoral election, Denver's electoral Department held a low-key election.
An overview audit of key parts of America's most radical new voting system.
Over the past few weeks, 119 overseas residents have been using smartphones to identify themselves and tag and submit votes online through encryption and storage methods blockchain.
Voters will receive an email receipt that lists their voting options, followed by a survey asking them what they think about the smartphone vote.
Denver and its technical and charitable partners not only show how they serve overseas voters.
They presented unprecedented digital evidence leads because similar public audits were never conducted on ballot receipts, ballot images and voting data on the blockchain.
The city is showing progress in voting on smartphones
Supporters of the Internet system envision millions of Americans eventually using it, but critics say the system is inherently untrustworthy.
The presentation did not resolve the disagreement, in which opponents accused each other and raised irreconcilable views.
But Denver's smartphone voting pilot offers a remarkable glimpse of where progress is and where it hasn't happened, the growing illegality of criticism, smartphones may or may not be suitable for voting programs in the United States.
What was the demo we saw?
The air atrium of a government building near the Capitol is broadcast live on Facebook.
City government official mobile voting app developer
Voatz, supporters of the foundation and nearby think tanks, and others --
Including some critics.
Sit in a row facing the big screen.
There is no such Internet voting demonstration in the United States. S.
Over the years, in addition to the people present, some outsiders have access to the same records, decryption tools, and servers to assess the voting of the Internet system --
Processing and accuracy.
"We will conduct an on-site audit of voters who vote through the blockchain --
Jocelyn Bucaro, deputy director of Denver Elections, said before introducing Forrest Senti, director of business and government initiatives at the National Cyber Security Center, a new think tank, to lead the presentation.
She welcomed Voatz's team, officials from Tusk piez, including its president, Sheila Knicks, who was former White House chief of staff, local and state election officer for Jill Biden
NCC and Tusk help plan and fund all aspects of pilot and blockchain audits.
"There are two main reasons why we are doing this pilot," Bucaro said . ".
"First, we want to provide a more convenient way for our military and overseas citizen voters to vote in elections.
Second, we want to strengthen a safe return approach for voters who vote overseas.
Therefore, today's audit is key to the security features provided through blockchain.
We are very excited about the transparency and auditable appeal of the blockchain.
A voting-based approach is provided.
The audit was divided into two parts, Senti explained. (
Online slides and videos also show the process. )
In short, the observers will see the selected cut
Edge elements of the latest smartphone voting technology.
Monitor said the squad leader had three different voting records from the same voter.
The left panel is blurry. lines of 44-
The character code, each line mentions voters, but masks their identity.
At the center, there is a picture of the receipt, which has been emailed to voters after they marked the vote using the Voatz app.
The receipt looks like there are regular votes with candidates and oval, but only their votes and coded identifiers are shown.
On the right is the image of their entire vote with the coded ID and filled in-
Here is the empty ellipse.
The photo was received, printed, scanned and counted by officials, just like the ballot papers elsewhere in the city.
These records come from the starting line and finish line of the voting process.
As you can see, they have to play.
"The next part of this presentation is the actual blockchain record," Senti said . " He opened a new window on the right.
This is the "blockchain audience.
"This is the software created by Voatz to access votes from a single vote that has been encrypted and stored online in different places --the blockchain.
The audience showed more letters and numbers arranged.
A paragraph must be copied, decoded by other software in another window, then copied to another window, in one table, where after more decoding, the position on the name or vote of the selected candidate will appear (
(Such as the crime of removing Mushroom).
After these complicated steps, the decoded votes are queued
Match votes.
The demo took 22 minutes.
Of the 119 overseas votes, only a few have been audited.
Finally, Bucaro and Senti remind those present that they can participate in all voting independently if they sign up (
Including consent not to destroy Voatz).
No one in the audience asked questions, but the people present had been talking about it.
Although everyone is polite, different points of view appear.
Bucaro, a dedicated and passionate young woman, was asked how the process provided assurance.
In the election, it is believed that there is a certain degree of risk in all forms of voting.
"We checked a few things here," she said . "
"We are verifying that there is no malfeasance from voter equipment to the chain --
There is no interruption in the data and no interruption.
We are making sure that the data extracted from the blockchain is accurate.
We are making sure that the data is correctly tabulated in our tabulation system.
We are verifying that we have the ability to do every entry point and every potential risk area, which is definitely better than passing through other traditional [E. G [audit]methods.
The final review was interesting.
Colorado is the country's pioneer in mailing votes.
When asked if App and blockchain methods are easier to track than voting --by-mail system—
Once the voter votes to remove the envelope, the officer loses track of it (
Signature outside is reviewed)
Or the practice of sending and receiving votes to overseas voters by email
Bucaro did not hesitate.
"Yes," she answered quickly.
"It gives us more data points where we can test and make sure things happen correctly.
But not all the people present watched the presentation so warmly.
"It has no confidence at all in the accuracy or relevance of the data we show --
"Obviously, all the images are like this," says Harvie Branscomb, a longtime participant in the Colorado Election Integrity campaign, like many opponents of electronic voting.
The basis for verifiable election results is marked paper ballot papers.
"There is little mention of how you will use this data to find a piece of paper that is allegedly behind it," he said . ".
"In the case of probably voters --
With verified data, these things may never be written on paper.
One and a half, Branscom.
Retirement computer
Marketing consultant with gray ponytail, who has been working on improving the audit for many years, is highly respected in the circle of activists, and he is as clear and firm as Bucaro.
"We wouldn't call this an audit at all, because our understanding of the audit is that you look at the voter's paper --
"Verified, this does not exist in this particular model," he said . ".
"The process they proposed to do what I call a review is very complicated . . . . . . If someone inside really wants to make a change, it's clear that they will have a lot of ways to intervene if I see false or distorted election data without knowing it.
Where is the auditability I don't know.
These conflicting views reflect an old but enduring disagreement about voting technology in the United States.
One side favored computerized tools like the Voatz app to create votes, record votes, and table results.
The other likes to make ink by hand on paper, and does not trust any technical layer between these ink marks and counting tickets. (
Those who like to combine the best use of paper and software tend not to be trusted by these factions. )
From a loose point of view, this is the conflict between the 20 th century mature technology and the 21 st century emerging technology --
Innovation plays a central role in voting.
Hovering over this area is a more subtle issue that applies to all voting systems.
In other words, does it have an observable thread of evidence that legalizes the outcome, and whether it can indicate that the vote is neither destroyed nor destroyed. These questions are not easy to answer.
This is because the voting system relies on a mix of paper records and digital processing.
Sometimes visible, sometimes invisible.
Many voters don't realize that people almost never count hands.
Paper ballot papers markedcomputers do.
Optical scanners were used to improve efficiency, speed and many competitive accuracy.
This scanner uses imagesbased software.
The scanner creates and analyzes digital images of each ballot and its votes.
This data is entered into the tabulation phase of the process. Highest today-
Personal data disputes in voting technology involve alternative new systems
Paper marked with a computer
Generated records.
The votes made are called Paper in dispute.
Based on the vendor's system as it is printed out for voters to check before it is completed.
It is unclear how many voters actually do so.
The deepest difference is the vote itself.
Should be hands-
In this context, Voatz's smartphone mobile voting app is the most radical new voting system in the United States.
It is characterized by the epitome of the most controversial elements of today's system --
Including what was being acquired by many jurisdictions before 2020 (
Digital votingMarking Equipment)
And what the Democratic Party may use in the 2020 presidential caucus for voters who are not on the scene (a telephone-
For example, the key system in Iowa, and possibly another online system in Nevada).
West Virginia is the first place to launch the pilotVoatz app for overseas voters.
But Denver is the first block chain to the quasi-open area. public review —
Audit demo city.
Another part of the Voatz app, using the camera and bio-sensors of the smartphone to authenticate voters and make sure they are real people (
Not an avatar or fake computer character)
, No open review.
There was no broader review, which angered internet voting opponents in the computer science community.
A few people gave Branscomb a recent 75-
In addition, Voatz's technical, operational and data privacy issues were distributed with due diligence in the blockchain audit in Denver.
These critics want Voatz to hand over its software code to hackers for an attack, which leads to a suspension of the online system.
The latest example is Switzerland.
"This is a completely closed-
Systems and companies.
It's just another Internet voting system, but they want to dress it up with a blockchain, "says David Jefferson, a cyber security expert who is a board member of a verified vote
E-voting advocacy group and coalition
The author of this paper, talked about the pilot of Voatz and Denver before the presentation.
He said: "They use the terms of the safe community in a very specific way, they are forged, "refers to the statement that Voatz can verify votes when transitioning from a smartphone to the government election office.
"Their auditability is not end-to-end, or rather, it is-
You can always reach the end point if you choose the end pointto-
End of auditable
The bottom line of an opponent like Jefferson boils down to several key thresholds --
Applicable to any computer voting system problem.
Is what voters see on a computer screen credible? Is the electronic representative, or the print output of their votes and their choices, credible? Submerged in the ocean of computer code, it can bypass what voters and officials see, but, nevertheless, the content presented in the tabulation phase remains corrupt as an unofficial result (
A few weeks later, the results were officially announced.
It is called the canvas period and the occasional narrative. )
Most importantly, opponents and supporters of online voting provide very different answers and narratives.
Critics say any software, and thus the results of the election, is likely to be destroyed, though not always provable.
They argue that Voatz must show that their software and systems are not broken.
"All security holes in the online voting system will affect votes before they reach the blockchain, when they are in the device that created them, or when they are in transit, or they will affect authentication and authorization. "
"It is important evidence that there is no evidence of loopholes.
I have to repeat it.
Evidence of no loopholes
"It's really black box observation," said Duncan Bell, professor and co-Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina.
75-author of the paper
And Voatz.
"We saw something that was allegedly put in, and we also saw something that was taken out.
But a lot of the negative opinions of people like me and David Jefferson are Because Woz didn't really tell anyone what they were doing.
They buried all this in the software and wouldn't let anyone see it.
But voatz's senior vice president, Larry Moore, rejected these claims, first assuming that there may be invisible things hidden in its software that can submit voting summaries and matching aspects to voters and officials, on the other hand, secretly change the result.
"Wait," said Moore, an extensive
Standing on the side of the presentation, shoulder the patient but optimistic long-term technical executives.
Before joining Voatz this winter, he was the founder and CEO of Clear Ballot, the country's most accurate electoral audit system, which systematically analyzed the digital images of each vote to explain each vote
Or look for vague marks for review.
Moore spoke like an engineer, which meant that he methodically completed the steps and decision points in a process, and he responded to the allegations of Jefferson, Bouer and his allies.
"One person received an email and the system thought he had voted," Moore continued . ".
"He can dispute that.
First, before he throws the receipt, he can look at the receipt as he does on the screen.
This is not enough, I agree.
But if he was able to print out an email saying who he was going to vote for, then put it aside, and then a few days later, look at a bulletin board with the same votes, 44 votes --
The character anonymous ID and then see that it was forcibly converted by the main voting system, telling me how this thread was cut off and temporarily forgetting the relationship between the two.
Just say, I have something here.
There's something there, and it's the same.
The reporter tells the argument of cyber security critics: something may go deep into the underground section of Voatz software and show a set of votes on the voter screen, but show another one on the list
"Let's call it magic," Moore replied dryly . ".
"Considering the existence of magic, I think it may be true.
But in the real world, tell me if I see something here and see something 10,000 miles away, showing the same ID as me, and the jurisdiction they have is matched.
The reporter retorted that critics said it was Voatz's responsibility to prove that their software code was not broken. “No. No. No.
"You can't prove to be negative," he replied . ".
"We can prove
It did happen. ” (
Line up votes, votes and data. )
When faced with the same criticism, Bucaro has a similar answer.
"We missed what part of the audit process," she asked . ".
"We're not testing anything --
Because we are testing the point from the phone to the blockchain, and [from]
Block chains for voting and [from]
Voting for the tabulation system.
If we don't find any problems with these points or entrances or exits, what else do we need to do? "Bucaro also believes that the theoretical hacking scenario is unfair, if not a conspiracy.
"We will continue to ask questions we know before we know what else to ask," she said . ".
In this irreconcilable view, one can still see any inconsistency between the voting system and the vendor's submission, starting with a clue of evidence that tracks the voter's intentions, to the end of the counting.
You can also see who is promoting new technologies and their motivations, including who is developing and testing new technologies, and who is not involved in the development and testing of new technologies.
Nuances and revelations will surface and allow for new judgments.
The sideline speech after the Denver presentation included some of the most enlightening details about what Voatz was doing and where the smartphone vote might go, why Voatz did not respond adequately to critics who want them to open the software for hacking and the wider cyber security debate around the country's voting system.
For example, when an argument was made that Voatz did not know whether its application code was attacked, because, as one recently retired long-standing voting officer said before the presentation, there is no computer security court Science to track the threat, says Nimit Sawhney, CEO of Voatz.
"Forensics is to detect if any machines are hacked," he said . ".
"You can talk to someone from the NSA [
National Security Agency, DHS [
Department of Homeland Security
GCQ in the UK, a national survey agency around the world.
They do exist . . . . . . Scholars who help build science do know this, but deliberately say the wrong thing [
Voting on smartphones
Because they are opposed in thought.
Nix, president of Tusk Philanthropies, said: "This tricky objection is why Voatz will not open up the whole system for independent review, and the company has provided some basis for Voatz's pilots.
Including demo review in Denver).
Tusk's mission is also to fight hunger.
"I talked to David [Jefferson]
"An hour," Nix said, "Finally, I said, 'If Nimit is involved in [defense]
Hacking conference known for breaking the voting system]
Will you be satisfied that no one can break in? Will you be okay then? He said no . . . . . . I think it helps to hear from people who are skeptical but open-mindedminded.
But it must be open. minded piece.
However, questions of doubt and curiosity were raised in Denver.
Branscomb, who spoke with Sawhney and Nix, asked why data was transferred using blockchain.
Sawhney, CEO of Voatz, replied: "Those who claim it doesn't work at all miss this out . ".
"This is to ensure the security of the overall vote and to ensure that the data is still tampered --
The time from when it was cast to when it was actually tabulated, canvassed and audited was free.
Branscomb said he saw the blockchain "basically"
Solve the voting problem
The chain of supervision, but you also need the chain of supervision at the beginning.
"He is referring to the stage of the Voatz app, which is not shown in the demo, smartphone user authentication.
These steps include cameras and apps for mobile phones to analyze whether the government
The released IDs are real and then take a video where the moving image matches the avatar of the ID.
Sawhney replied that the app "cannot create our own voters.
This must be done in jurisdictions.
Then the object of the conversation is the voter --
Sawhney said every overseas voter of the West Virginia Pilot had checked the receipt.
Branscomb asked how the contents of the email receipt could not be traced back to individual voters --
Keep the votes confidential.
"This is a good question," Sawhney replied . " He first pointed out that emails were sent between voters and officials and were encrypted.
But he said the key is Voatz's inability to control the email relay between the sender and the recipient.
"So what's going on.
Let two parties who do not see the other system legally confirm that they will never be able to access the email.
Infrastructure control.
So this problem is solved now.
Many states, including Colorado, have overseas voters who support their right to vote by secret ballot.
But the problem is complicated, because Voatz's vision goes beyond the overseas voters, because its system has to authenticate the voters and connect them with their equipment, so there is no, then submit a ballot paper that could not be traced back to them --
So this is a secret ballot.
"Now, no matter this [
Current agreement
"It's going to vote for millions of people, and it's still to be seen," says Sawhney . ".
"It will apply to a smaller group [OUCAVA [
Federal law of overseas voters
Maybe for the disabled community.
But if millions of people vote, we will have to change the email protocol.
He cited European methods in which "no one can read the contents of the email even if they forward it . ".
So there's a solution.
They will increase the cost.
Branscomb is back to the personal information issue tracked by the app. (
Critics like Jefferson have raised the same issue with the Voatz subcontractor. )
Sawhney replied that Voatz deleted what they used within 24 hours.
From there on, the discussion was probably the most interesting twist.
Sawhney notes that smartphones have standard features that their apps don't use, but can also help with audits, including what he says reveals "if someone deliberately says something is disrupting the election ".
"This is not the PII," Sawhney told Branscomb, who used shorthand to identify personal information.
"This is anonymous sensor data. It’s not PII.
Sawhney explained that there are two smartphones
A dozen sensors track the location of the user's touch screen and the difficulty of the touch.
When this physical interaction overlaps a digital document, such as a vote, a record can usually be retrieved.
"This is a digital signature," he said . "
"If you sign on a different version, it will be detected by the system.
Now, let's say what the software is doing wrong.
I chose A. it chose B.
I said, prove it.
You come to the forensic team.
Do the curing process.
As long as you don't re -.
Install the operating system [
Operating system
This is conclusive.
The forensic doctor can finally prove whether what you said is true or false.
"You mean the application saved forensic data," replied Branscomb . ".
"Yes, yes," he said.
"There are 22 phones-
In addition, sensors and touch pressures that record these anonymous data are very powerful biometric technologies.
"The latest smartphone also allows users to make videos of how they use them, including voting with the app.
Details like this are interesting because they suggest that the constant development of smartphones may provide more electoral audit possibilities --
Or, instead, new challenges have been raised to protect secret votes.
But back in the circle where many officials live, there is a competing priority: the desire to deploy the simplest system, as elections can be undermined by human errors and technical flaws.
Recently retired Ion Sancho, an election supervisor in Leon County, Florida, who has been working with Moore for years to develop clear votes, said Denver's smartphone and blockchain audits sound very complicated --
It may be too complicated for general election managers.
"Do you have to live in that part of the Digital Earth? Can you live in another part of the Digital Earth? There, your requirements for technical knowledge are getting lower and you can't audit the system, "said.
"If there is a problem, it seems difficult for local election officials to resolve it.
"The Voatz app is not ready to hit the US, where is it?
It is not federally certified and may never be.
It's also not certified in Colorado, but Denver is allowed to use it for the pilot because its May 7 elections are local elections, not state and federal offices.
Denver and West Virginia will continue to use it, and Woz will probably be next to South Carolina and Utah.
Voatz's first target of voters is civilians and soldiers overseas.
Susan in Dez, Chica
Suinat, he created America. S.
The Voting Foundation, which served overseas voters 14 years ago, has been critical of Voatz and its allies for the same reasons as Jefferson, but also because for vendors who want to try their ideas, "It has become very old as a guinea pig "--
But don't ask what these voters might need.
Government officials were seen too eager to respond to private enterprises.
"This excessive dependence on suppliers stems from LEOs [
Local election officials
"There are very few resources, maybe no guidance," she said . ".
"Then a vendor came in and said, 'I have an answer and let me show it to you.
They really don't have the ability to evaluate it.
At home, the next market for Voatz seems to be voters with disabilities.
Each polling station must have a polling station to accommodate people with such obstacles.
Denver wants to pilot use in its possible elections, but changes to the app are not ready, Bucaro said.
"This is what they are doing," she said . " She said an estimated 35 million people from the national population took part in the vote --age Americans.
"But the next goal is to create a digital bulletin board where voters can enter their own hash [encrypted ID]
See their own votes, whether it's data stored in the blockchain or the data we list.
This is something voters can't do now.
The Denver demo previewed this capacity, but it's not a simple interface.
Step back, the pilot is trying to create new facts and evidence that will be taken to vote on smartphones in other states.
The recent San Diego Alliance
Voporportsaid said Voatz and its allies are expected to pilot in 25 states in the coming years.
Whether this goal is realistic is an open question.
In any case, the Denver pilot showed a technology that its supporters were taking steps to gain wider acceptance.
The pilot provided some new details and data and tried to guarantee the accuracy of the smartphone vote, but did so in a controlled environment.
The city's team invited a number of outsiders to look at its ballot image and blockchain records, but did not issue an invitation on its official website.
On the other hand, sharp critics were told that most people chose not to participate in public audits.
At the same time, Voatz and its allies are moving forward.
One day after the demo, Bucaro said the city had conducted its own audit of smartphone voting --
Compare the start and finish line Records and decrypt the blockchain between the two.
"Everything went well," she said . " She added that compared to Denver's last local election, the number of overseas residents voting was twice that of Denver, with half of them using Voatz
"Not only that, but we also collected the findings from voters who used the app.
100% of respondents said they would prefer to vote like this in the future . "
Comments like this are the pioneers in announcing the success of the pilot.
But when asked if she was struggling with a blockchain audit, Bucaro said, "Oh, yes.
If you are not a computer scientist, blockchain is very difficult to understand.
I must educate myself.
It is difficult to explain to the public.
I think the key is-It's redundant. It’s auditable.
It is more transparent.
From our point of view, the added layers of redundancy and encryption make it more secure.
So once I was able to understand all of this, plus once the data was written on the blockchain and stored in the blockchain, the data could not be changed without detection, this is important.
Older generation election officials such as Sancho in Florida say the complexity is "not conducive to wider distribution" of the new voting system.
This seasoned view suggests that Voatz has a way to go before thousands of voters, let alone millions of people, use it.
Denver's may pilot has 119 voters.
In last November, there were 144 pilots in West Virginia.
These are very small.
Carry out scale test in case of competition and not high
Elections.
But it may change soon.
At 2020, it's the highest-
The use of personal data may not be for overseas or disabled voters, but for state Democrats in a few states to hold a caucus meeting on presidential nominations.
The National Party asked its core group countries to provide remote participation options.
Opening caucus Iowa will use the phone-
Similar to a key system for paying bills over the phone.
However, other core group countries are looking at options, and some have reached out to Voatz.
The reliability of local broadband may be a limiting factor.
A pilot in Denver shows that a smartphone poll is underway.
It is not as perfect as the proponents claim, nor is it as fatal as critics say, and is still waiting for independent testing.
The presentation of the city looks like a glass to see the future development of the US vote.
No one can say which parts of Voatz's system or smartphone will last as a voting platform.
But the Denver pilot represents the ongoing conflict between the 20 th and 21st century voting systems, and whether the revolutionary technology of smartphones will soon include votes.