User as Citizen

1. User as Citizen 18 October 2006

2. Midterm • Raw scores are on exams • Midterm counts max of 20% • If grades on final are significantly better, I’ll weigh it more heavily • Formula to follow • Grade equivalents • 70-75 A+ • 67-69 A • 65-66 A- • 61-64 B+ • 58-60 B • 55-57 B- • 52-54 C+ • 50-51 C • 43-49 C- • 40-42 D

3. Administrivia • Look for emails and web announcements • Grade summary • Readings • At end of class today • 10 minutes to fill out status report

4. EU Rejects SPAM Trademark Bid "The most evident meaning of the term SPAM for the consumers ... will certainly be unsolicited, usually commercial e-mail, rather than a designation for canned spicy ham." -- The European Office of Trade Marks and Designs deals Hormel another blow in a losing battle (Bonus quote from the company: "Ultimately, we are trying to avoid the day when the consuming public asks, 'Why would Hormel Foods name its product after junk e-mail?' ")

5. What is e-government? • Online access to government services • Information • Transactions • Opportunity to increase citizen participation • How government works • Question: Does e-government disenfranchise people?

6. Open Government • What does open government mean? • What are sunshine laws? • Why should we care?

7. Freedom of Information Act • The Basics • Never strongly supported • LBJ signing statement • Current state • Openthegovernment.org report • A propaganda piece

8. Resources • Lots of good site • E-Democracy Web tour:Key resources for community participatory decision-making & e-democracy • E-democracy.org: Building online public space …(check the Meetuplink) • www.factcheck.org:(non partisan, non profit)

9. After opening up government, then what? • Transactions • Gathering opinions

10. Information sought • What would you like? • What people get • Recreation (50%) • Road closings (25%) • Health information (25%) • Voting records (25%) • Self reported • Believable? • Could we do better? • Why should we care?

11. Information vs. Transactions • Requirements differences • Information needs to be correct • Processing, not just displaying • Transactions • Need to complete processing properly • Exactly once processing • Require checking correctness of information entered • Require security • Require that user provide information • In between: availability of forms

12. Transactions Wanted • Address Change ONCE • Respond to jury summons • Renew driver’s license • Copies of life event certificates (birth, death, marriage, divorce) • Confirm program eligibility and apply • Student financial aid, unemployment, Medicare, Medicaid, … • Passport or visa; marriage license • Employment opportunities and application • File taxes • What’s not on this list? VOTING!

13. How To Execute a Transaction • Save the state so you can return to it • Update each part conditionally • E.g., debit and credit • If all parts succeed, commit • Otherwise roll back

14. ATM Example • Verify your account • Subtract amount from your account • Give you cash • Give you receipt • What happens when machine stops and possibly restarts? • Analyze each possible case

15. Transaction vs. Printing Forms • Fundamental principle: A system is only as good as its weakest link • Printing forms • Posting form • Printing form • Filling in form • Delivering form • Entering information • Processing information • What is the weakest link? • Examples: electronic transfers

16. The Federal Government • Supreme Ct. “Opinion” site(since 2000) • Public comments online:(since Jan ‘03)www.regulations.gov • Help America Vote Act of 2002

17. Public documents and searchable databases • TheThomas Server • First Gov (U.S. Government officialportal) • OfficialState of NC Web Portal • County: www.co.orange.nc.us • Chapel Hill

18. What is included in e-voting • Range of Systems • Optically scanned paper • Touch screen systems • Internet voting • All Processes (what is the weakest link?) • Registration • Ballot design • Voting • Counting of votes • Recounts

19. Major concerns raised • Correctness • Certification process • Digital divide • System set up • Auditing (recounts) • Accessibility • Internet vulnerability

20. Correctness • Should code be open source? • Belief that more eyes are valuable • Easier to hack • Corruption • Vulnerability – improved by open source • Checking for errors that hackers can exploit • Malicious changes – primarily a concern of which version is running

21. Certification process • More than 40 states require certification • But what does it mean? • Need to guarantee certification of last minute fixes or changes – not always possible • Both California and Indiana found themselves using uncertified code

22. Digital Divide • More generally an e-government concern • Intimidation • Could become a new literacy test • California recall • Less than 1% missed (under voted) for yes/no • But nearly 10% under voted in the candidate selection

23. System Set Up • Lack of local technical skills • Large number of local polling stations • Short set up time

24. Auditability vs. Privacy • Storing the full record means that someone could get at the information • Acceptable in England • Secret Ballot Act of 1872 • Requires that each ballot be tied to the voter • Records held as a state secret

25. Auditing (recounts) • Voter Verified Audit Trail • Print a copy • Voter verifies • Puts it into a ballot box • Used for • Routine audits (random) • Recounts • Problems • Cost: Australia opted out • Training

26. Why do an audit? • If you can only identify a problem, what is the remedy? • If audit can also produce the corrected results, more valuable

27. Broward County, Florida • special election to fill a state House seat • victor won by only 12 votes • 137 of the electronic ballots were blank • Florida law requires a manual recount • but no paper ballots • recount isn't possible

28. Are there other options? • Code can be verified against manipulating • Example: encryption within the system • But, needs to get into the system • User interface is the vulnerable spot • Assuming no program errors, can we be sure that people will read a screen version correctly if they made a voting mistake? • Depends … • Primarily on the quality of the ballot design

29. Partial Solutions • Turnout: separate track of how many people voted • Number of votes cast should match • Need to count abstentions • Need to track people who quit in the middle • Does not help to determine if the vote went to the right person

30. Accessibility • Florida ban on plastic templates with holes for use by the visually impaired because NOT CERTIFIED • How do you address this problem without compromising privacy? • How is it done today? • Generally, advocates for the visually impaired prefer electronic voting • Techniques to support them, primarily audio • What about the paper audit trail?

31. New Mexico last year • Only two voting machines certified by the federal government for disabled and non-English speaking • Neither measures up to state law that requires voter-verified paper record • Upgrade would require $1000/machine

32. What is included in e-voting • Range of Systems • Optically scanned paper • Touch screen systems • Internet voting • All Processes (what is the weakest link?) • Registration • Ballot design • Voting • Counting of votes • Recounts

33. Major concerns raised • Correctness • Certification process • Digital divide • System set up • Auditing (recounts) • Accessibility • Internet vulnerability

34. Correctness • Should code be open source? • Belief that more eyes are valuable • Easier to hack • Corruption • Vulnerability – improved by open source • Checking for errors that hackers can exploit • Malicious changes – primarily a concern of which version is running

35. Certification process • More than 40 states require certification • But what does it mean? • Need to guarantee certification of last minute fixes or changes – not always possible • Both California and Indiana found themselves using uncertified code

36. Digital Divide • More generally an e-government concern • Intimidation • Could become a new literacy test • California recall • Less than 1% missed (under voted) for yes/no • But nearly 10% under voted in the candidate selection

37. System Set Up • Lack of local technical skills • Large number of local polling stations • Short set up time

38. Auditability vs. Privacy • Storing the full record means that someone could get at the information • Acceptable in England • Secret Ballot Act of 1872 • Requires that each ballot be tied to the voter • Records held as a state secret

39. Auditing (recounts) • Voter Verified Audit Trail • Print a copy • Voter verifies • Puts it into a ballot box • Used for • Routine audits (random) • Recounts • Problems • Cost: Australia opted out • Training

40. Why do an audit? • If you can only identify a problem, what is the remedy? • If audit can also produce the corrected results, more valuable

41. Broward County, Florida • special election to fill a state House seat • victor won by only 12 votes • 137 of the electronic ballots were blank • Florida law requires a manual recount • but no paper ballots • recount isn't possible

42. Are there other options? • Code can be verified against manipulating • Example: encryption within the system • But, needs to get into the system • User interface is the vulnerable spot • Assuming no program errors, can we be sure that people will read a screen version correctly if they made a voting mistake? • Depends … • Primarily on the quality of the ballot design

43. Partial Solutions • Turnout: separate track of how many people voted • Number of votes cast should match • Need to count abstentions • Need to track people who quit in the middle • Does not help to determine if the vote went to the right person

44. Accessibility • Florida ban on plastic templates with holes for use by the visually impaired because NOT CERTIFIED • How do you address this problem without compromising privacy? • How is it done today? • Generally, advocates for the visually impaired prefer electronic voting • Techniques to support them, primarily audio • What about the paper audit trail?

45. New Mexico this past weekend • Only two voting machines certified by the federal government for disabled and non-English speaking • Neither measures up to state law that requires voter-verified paper record • Upgrade would require $1000/machine