Black Box Voting 2.0 – a curated nonpartisan reporting and public education site for elections.
An award-winning voting rights innovation improved voter lists in Pakistan, where an SMS mobile phone text-messaging system got voters to interact with voter lists to correct errors and see where to vote. Out of 85 million registered voters, the SMS system got 55 million hits; voter turnout increased, and marginalized groups like persons with disabilities measurably increased election engagement. In…
Buried in an article about filing deadlines1 we find three hints for what’s to come in 2014 for West Virginia: 1) Taking a step back from transparent vote counts, removing paper ballot options; 2) Increasing use of combined vote centers, which reduce ballot privacy; 3) Increasing use of electronic poll books in place of physical poll books. “Paper ballots will…
Letter of concern pertaining to three potential procedural changes pending for Anchorage, the electoral region which dominates the state of Alaska, and controls most of Alaska’s vote-counting equipment. (Result: Right to observe and use mobile devices was preserved after proposed rollback of rights.) Black Box Voting is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public education and research organization for election transparency. From: Bev…
An important news item by in the Salt Lake Tribune reports on Utah State Sen. Karen Mayne’s attempt to stop publication of voter information. The reporter should have covered both sides of the issue, because the proposed legislation removes a crucial transparency component for Utah elections. The article, titled “Bill aims to stop publication of voter information”,1 reports that: –…
[Last updated: 02/15/14] Are you wondering how electronic voting systems fit together? What an error message means when you see it on a voting machine? How voter lists work? How vulnerable the system used in your location is? Black Box Voting has been collecting hard-to-obtain details for 10 years. If you have obtained information, you may contribute it either anonymously…
Next major election: Tuesday Aug. 19 Primary election RISK RATINGS Integrity Index: Rated 49th out of 50 states by the Better Government Association, with 50 the lowest rating.1 Election Risk Analysis: Significant, rated 5 out of 10, with 10 being highest risk.2 Special areas of concern: Wyoming is one of three states which acts as a corporate secrecy haven, rivaling…
[Updated 12/18/13] Internet voting can’t work alongside secrecy of the ballot. But online voting for legislators — because their ballot should never be secret from the public — would at least be transparent. In the US, a resolution was introduced in June 2013 (H.Res.287) for a measure that would let members vote remotely on noncontroversial bills. According to reporter Bryan…
[12/16/13] – In the current Virginia recount, voting machine chain of custody deserves a closer look. A handful of men control chain of custody for crucial portions of the recount process, which in Virginia is conducted entirely by re-running the ballots through voting computers, with votes counted out of public view. Oh yes, observers may be able to watch activity,…
Kenya’s March 2013 election was marred by significant irregularities. The installed president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Deputy President William Ruto have both been charged with crimes against humanity for their alleged roles in 2007-08 post-election violence. RATINGS Freedom: “Partly free” rating 3.5 on a scale of 1-6, with 6 being least free.1 Election Risk: Very High, rated 8.5 on a scale…
