Thursday, January 26, 2012

Academy moves toward e-voting: Org enters agreement to develop system for 85th Academy Awards

Academy moves toward e-voting: Org enters agreement to develop system for 85th Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is one step closer to an electronic voting system, announcing Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with Everyone Counts Inc. to exclusively develop a system for the 85th Academy Awards. Everyone Counts will work with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Academy's accounting firm of record, whose role in tabulating Academy members' votes will remain unchanged. Over the next year, the Academy will undertake a rigorous security and user-acceptance testing process. --->>>

Press Release: Microsoft Enables Online Voting For Overseas Citizens

Microsoft Enables Online Voting For Overseas Citizens

LiveBallot, based on Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud computing system and developed by Democracy Live, allows voters who are overseas the chance to vote in a simple and easy way. The system has been in use since December for soldiers who are overseas, but will be used in the upcoming Florida primary. --->>>

Also see: Three States Roll Out Electronic Ballots
"One thing to remember: this isn’t Internet voting. The logins generally are based on a name and birth date (basically what’s in the voter registration database) and the voter only gets a ballot, not a vote. The vote itself still has to be mailed or faxed in, just as before. This obviates the need for really heavy security. (The security concerns are basically those of paper ballots at that point). Even so, it is a step in getting absentee ballots to people who are in places that getting mail is a problem."

Press Release: Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) launches The Election Experts

Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) launches The Election Experts – A blog dedicated to helping member-based organizations with online voting, elections and surveys.

The Election Experts will be updated twice per week and will offer advice regarding online voting, elections and surveys for associations, cooperatives, unions, financial institutions and other member-based organizations. Recent election news, technology and case studies will also be spotlighted. --->>>

Blog url: http://www.surveyandballotsystems.com/resource-library/blog/

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Spanish firm to provide e-voting service

Spanish firm to provide e-voting service

Council picked the cheaper — but not local — option to provide telephone and e-voting for the next election.

Scytl Secure Electronic Voting, a Spanish firm, bid $553,007 for the contract to distribute voter notification cards and two weeks of advance polling over the Internet and by phone for October’s municipal election. --->>>

Ireland: For sale: 7,500 e-vote machines, one careful state owner

For sale: 7,500 e-vote machines, one careful state owner

The January sales will take a fresh twist today when the Government announces plans to either sell off or recycle and scrap 7,500 e-voting machines.

Ministers are expected to discuss plans to bring an end to the debacle that has cost the taxpayer €55m. --->>> 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Ballot Secrecy Keeps Voting Technology at Bay

Ballot Secrecy Keeps Voting Technology at Bay

Voters in the recent Iowa caucuses and Tuesday's New Hampshire primary will rely on paper ballots as they have for generations. In the very next primary on January 21, South Carolinians will vote with backlit touch-screen computers. --->>>

E-voting machine freezes, misreads votes, U.S. agency says

E-voting machine freezes, misreads votes, U.S. agency says

DS200 optical scanner from ES&S doesn't meet federal standards, but remains certified, Election Assistance Commission says

Computerworld - An electronic ballot scanning device slated for use in the upcoming presidential elections, misreads ballots, fails to log critical events and is prone to freezes and sudden lockups, the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission has found.

The little noticed EAC report on the DS200 Precinct Count Optical Scanner in the Unity 3.2.0.0 voting system built by Election Systems & Software (ES&S) was released late last month. --->>>