WORKSHOP ON DEVELOPING A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR ELECTRONIC
VOTING TECHNOLOGIES
September 17-18, 2004
Convened by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
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Description
In the 2000 presidential election, the inherent weaknesses of our states' systems of voting were revealed in dramatic fashion. Due to an unprecedented occurrence, it was impossible to determine for many weeks the outcome of the presidential voting in the State of Florida and, therefore, to declare a winner in the election of a new President of the United States. Recounts were undertaken not only of votes but also of "intended votes," and terminology such as "butterfly" ballots and "hanging chads" became routine vocabulary of discussions in the daily news. The certification process, eventually decided by a narrow margin in the U.S. Supreme Court, came breathlessly close to creating a constitutional crisis.
The almost surreal events of that election led to reconsideration of the ways in which balloting is done, and also to requests for new funding to modernize the voting processes in states and localities. As a result, efforts have emerged to explore and assess new technological options in voting. To aid in this assessment, AAAS convened a workshop that brought together technical and cyber-security experts, election officials, social and behavioral scientists, and public interest representatives to develop a research agenda in anticipation of the 2004 election and its aftermath. The workshop lead to a report of priority research needs representing the best assessment of the expert group.
The proposed research agenda will make an important intellectual contribution to the study of electronic voting technology by highlighting issues that would benefit from additional focused research and, in doing so, point researchers (and funders) to potential avenues of interdisciplinary research and collaboration across fields. The research agenda will have broader impacts as well. It will create opportunities for greater public involvement in deciding how to allocate support for such studies. Ultimately, the findings that emerge from work done based on this research agenda could contribute to two important areas: (1) future deliberations about the advantages and disadvantages of various voting systems, and (2) critical individual and policy decisions about voting in the U.S.
The workshop is funded by the National Science Foundation.
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