Voting Machines and IT Professionals
March 25, 2022
Dear Voter and Constituent,
It has been great meeting so many of you at events, cottage meetings, and more. If we have not met in person, please click here to see a my meeting schedule.
I have been approached by Democrat and Republican IT professionals who have raised concerns about the security of election machines. I did not solicit their insight, but they wanted to share with me their professional experience and knowledge. As examples,
- One IT professional relayed to me it is impossible for one person to validate millions of lines of code. He stated that there could be a back door, allowing third parties to manipulate the software.
- Another expert raised concerns that according to his experience, the machines cannot be blocked from accessing the internet. He believes this makes them vulnerable to hacking.
What I took away from these conversations and others, is that there appears to be bipartisan concern about the machines that are used in our elections. Unfortunately, I believe these concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed by elected officials or County Clerks of either party.
So, what is the best way to handle these concerns?
According to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, we cannot hire third parties to evaluate the software code because it would violate our contracts with the companies that make the election machines. I need to verify the specific language in the subject contracts.
Regardless, I question whether having a third party evaluate the software would make citizens have more faith in the machines. Also, I am unclear why a third party’s evaluation of the software would make voters more comfortable when the issue seems to be that voters have no way to verify the third party’s findings.
I believe Clerks need to satisfactorily address voters’ concerns about election machines with verification methods that anyone can participate in. As an example, one way the Clerk can verify that the tabulators (the machines used to count our votes) are working properly is to hand count a race and compare the results to the results produced by the tabulator.
Unlike with a third-party evaluation of software, voters can poll watch this hand count in real-time, and observe the processes that the Clerk’s office uses. As your County Clerk, I will regularly conduct audits like this so that voters know the machines we use are working properly.
If the numbers from the hand count match what the tabulator produced, it will increase voters’ faith in the machines and the election results. If the numbers do not match, the Clerk needs to research what caused the discrepancy and then disclose the findings and solution to the public.
With this information and transparent process, voters will appreciate having a Clerk who is open to addressing their concerns about the use of election machines.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, for a request to attend a cottage meeting, for a yard sign, etc.
Sincerely,
GOUD
