Page 23 - FCW, August 2019

For the first time in a presidential elec- tion, voters in two upcoming Democrat- ic caucuses will be able to vote using their phones.
The Democratic Party announced this month that Iowans and Nevadans in February 2020 will be able to opt out of the traditional caucus experience and vote using the keypads on their cellphones or landlines.
Party leaders say the change will make the caucus process more inclu- sive, especially for members of the mili- tary and others who can’t easily caucus in person, such as people with disabili- ties and voters who live in remote areas.
Some Americans have already voted by phone: Service members from West Virginia and Denver in the past year were able to participate in local elec- tions using a smartphone app.
Many election officials, election tech- nology companies and voting rights advocates support a phone-based sys- tem to make voting easier for millions of Americans. But the convenience of voting by phone comes with risks. Elec- tion security experts have vehemently warned against it, saying it opens elec- tions to potential hacks and disruptions.
The dilemma for states that might consider voting by phone is the con- flict between accessibility and security. Voting rights advocates want to make casting a ballot as easy as possible. At the same time, the United States faces the threat of foreign interference in this presidential election.
Voting by phone is voting through the internet, either through mobile apps or the tabulating and downloading pro- cess, said Marian Schneider, president of Verified Voting, an election integrity nonprofit organization that advocates for a paper trail in voting.
That opens the door to malicious actors, like the foreign intelligence agents who attempted to hack U.S. state and local voting systems during the last presidential race. In light of those attempts, many states are going back to paper ballots or requiring a paper trail to back up electronic systems.
“Did people not get any lessons learned from 2016?” Schneider said. “It’s really an odd time to be doing this.”
West Virginia and Denver were the first U.S. jurisdictions to allow overseas service members to use a new mobile app to vote in local elections. The voting process and post-election audits were successful, local officials say.
A ‘virtual caucus’
In February, voters in Iowa and Nevada will caucus in schools, churches and community centers to choose a Demo- cratic nominee. During caucuses, voters divide themselves into groups by can- didate preference in their assigned pre- cinct until every candidate represented meets a certain threshold to win del- egates. The process can last hours, as people move around the room.
This year, in addition to the in-person caucuses, voters can dial in to a “virtual caucus” and rank candidates by press- ing a button or saying their name. The preferences will be added later in their home precincts. Voters can access the system only by dialing a code provided by the state party.
Nevada’s Democratic voters can call in the Sunday and Monday before the Saturday caucus and participate in English, Spanish or Tagalog. The Silver State will also have four days of early, in-person caucusing during which vot- ers can express their preferences.
In Iowa, voters can choose between six time slots to caucus using the new system, one of them on caucus night. Those votes will be tallied in the voters’ precincts on caucus day.
“We expect it to take minutes rather than hours,” said Shelby Wiltz, caucus director for the Nevada State Demo- cratic Party. “This is going to be a great option for folks. It’s important the folks who are voting are reflective of our whole Democratic community.”
But critics worry the new voting systems are unsafe. State Democratic leaders and the vendor hired to build the system will work with security experts at the national party head-
quarters to implement safeguards and conduct testing. But the party has not yet outlined exactly how and by whom the dial-in system will be tested before the caucuses and which safeguards are being implemented to prevent hacking attempts and disruptions.
While voters caucus over the phone, their preferences will be tabulated and transmitted via the internet. The state Democratic parties will be able to down- load those preferences in a spreadsheet or text file.
Anytime the internet is involved in voting, it’s risky, said David Dill, a pro- fessor emeritus of computer science at Stanford University who has stud- ied election security for the past two decades. The lack of security specifics from Democrats should give voters pause, he added.
“Basically, what they’re saying is, ‘Trust us,’” Dill said. “The stakes are high in the primaries. It’s irresponsible for any political party to be using soft- ware like this.”
Nevada’s Wiltz insisted that “security is our No. 1 priority.”
“We are working hand-in-hand with \\\[Democratic National Committee\\\] secu- rity experts to be thoughtful at every step,” she added.
Voting ‘in a hostile zone’
When Sheila Nix served as chief of staff to former second lady Jill Biden, she consistently heard from military mem- bers stationed abroad about how dif- ficult it was to vote.
A federal law signed by President Barack Obama in 2009 requires that states mail absentee ballots to service members at least 45 days before Elec- tion Day. But returning the ballot isn’t always easy, and the process varies by state.
“Absentee ballots, access to printers, have a fax machine?” Nix said. “In a hostile zone, there’s no way you’re able to do those things.”
Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia allow service members to return their ballots via email, according
August 2019 FCW.COM 19
?