Frequently Asked Questions
The OSDV addresses a serious problem in voting technology: the lack of technical guidelines and specifications for determining truly high assurance, high veracity voting devices.
But what does that mean, specifically, about the mission and the activities of OSDV? For answers, here is the current "short list" of the dozen most common questions about OSDV, with the answers in brief.
(For the same questions, with full answers, see the full length FAQ on OSDV. And for even more info on OSDV, voting technology, voting practices, and more, see the FAQ: Elections, Voting, and Technology.)
What is“digital voting” and why does it need attention from groups like OSDV?
What’s the problem with digital voting today?
Why not leave voting technology to the government? Isn’t it their job to resolve these issues?
What is OSDV doing about these problems, and how?
What does “open source” mean with regard to digital voting?
Is OSDV an open-source software project?
Are you producing some kind of standard?
Aren’t there other groups doing similar things?
How can I learn more or become involved?
Q: What is is “digital voting” and why does it need attention from groups like OSDV?
A: Digital voting is the use of computers as part conducting an election. Despite some controversy over the practice, a large and increasing number of state and local elections bodies in the United States are employing technology for various parts of the voting process – with mixed results that increasingly undermine public confidence in U.S. elections. Despite a great deal of government guidance, problems persist because they are rooted in technology matters. That’s why technology-focused groups like OSDV can have a positive impact by documenting and demonstrating technical means to resolve the technology issues that today undermine voter confidence.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: What’s the problem with digital voting today?
A: Digital voting systems have raised significant public concern in two areas: reliability and integrity. Reliability concerns center on the ability of digital voting systems to correctly perform their functions. Reliability problems include attested voter reports of accidental vote flipping, inaccurate vote recording, lack of clear confirmation of ballot data, and more. Integrity concerns center on the possibility that flaws in systems and software could lead to unreliable operation, as well as increase vulnerability to fraud in which malefactors tamper with voting data to affect election results.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: Why not leave voting technology to the government? Isn’t it their job to resolve these issues?
A: The government is interested, and does have a role to play, along with the private sector, not-for-profit, and the citizenry at large. Barring fundamental changes to our currently local-operated election system, there will continue to be thousands of election commissions conducting elections without or without voting technology, as and how they see fit given local conditions, funding, and whatever voting system products are available in the marketplace. Non-governmental organizations like OSDV can play a key role in rapidly developing demonstrations of how the needs of these election commissions can be met with better applied technology, without trying to change the ways US elections are conducted.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: What is OSDV doing about these problems, and how?
A: OSDV is a collaborative, open community engaged in developing guidelines, recommendations, draft standards, and demonstration software, all created in a completely open and collaborative manner to demonstrate how transparency can work to create the confidence that is vitally needed at the root of our election system. Proposed standards and reference implementations are intended to demonstrate how technology, appropriately applied to voting systems, can use high-assurance computing as part of a high-confidence election process.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: What does "open source" mean with regard to digital voting?
A: In the case of OSDV, “open source” has the literal meaning that all efforts and results (guidelines, tools, software, etc.) are conceived, designed, and produced in a transparent, open, collaborative, meritocratic, peer-reviewed and non-proprietary fashion. OSDV employs a development process that is open to anyone who is able and willing to “get the work done” of developing or reviewing OSDV work product.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: Is OSDV an open-source software project?
A: OSDV is actually that and more. A portion of OSDV activities will include the development of demonstration software, demonstration activities, and demonstration systems using that software, in order to show how OSDV guidelines can be used in practice for acquiring, certifying, and using computing systems as part of an election process. Such demonstration software will be open-source software.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: Does the OSDV seek to open-source its work in order to replace current vendor efforts to produce digital voting technology?
A: Not at all! On the contrary, it is the hope and intent of OSDV to advance the cause of digital voting technology and where appropriate, to partner with makers of digital voting products. OSDV’s technology transfer goals can be met only if voting technology advances are actually used in elections with voting system products. Adoption of OSDV results by voting system vendors should enable the vendors to reduce the incredible cost and effort of R&D, and allow them to focus on the two most important aspects of their business: building world class devices, and providing world class customer service, support, and maintenance for them. To be very clear: the OSDV will never produce commercial software or systems, but it will produce specifications, technology, and reference implementations that can serve as a model and a technology base for them.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: Is OSDV trying to define how these electronic voting systems should be built, or how they should work?
A: Yes on "define" and no on "should". OSDV will offer a reference model
for voting systems that is consistent with guidelines and
specifications for how high-confidence voting systems can be built and
used. To that extent, the OSDV intends to advance publicly vetted,
peer-reviewed, open-source draft standards for digital voting
technology. However, only government organizations have a mandate to
define how such systems should be built and used. Led by the Election
Assistance Commission and with other government
bodies including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the government can define and mandate such standards, as well as processes for how systems shall
be certified as meeting such standards.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: If OSDV is not trying to define how electronic voting systems should be built, or operate, then what is the specific work of OSDV?
A: OSDV is primarily chartered with identifying, proposing, and demonstrating guidelines and standards for what is currently missing in the process of building, acquiring, certifying, and using computing devices that automate parts of an election process. OSDV activities include developing a demonstration system that will show what high-assurance voting systems can be like, how to assess their reliability and integrity, and how the systems should be used to maintain integrity in practical usage.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: Are you producing some kind of standard?
A: We expect that our work will result in draft standards for assessing the assurance of voting system products and the veracity of their use. We expect that that such draft standards will be useful input for the relevant government standards bodies. We hope that our reference implementations will be subjected to peer-review in order to aid potential standardization. However, if standards emerge as a result of our work, that will happen because of wide-spread adoption – that is, a de-facto standard, like anything that is adopted en masse. If OSDV work product gains wide-spread acceptance, of course, we will support its formal adoption where appropriate.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: Aren’t there other groups doing similar things?
A: No. Many are advocacy groups, and a few are technology groups like OSDV, but working on complementary technology issues. There are a great many public interest groups focused on elections, voting, and technology issues. Most of them are very different from OSDV in that they are advocacy groups focused on voting, including some with emphasis on machines, while others have broader agendas. OSDV is not an advocacy group. OSDV is primarily focused on developing and demonstrating technology and tools for use by those involved in assessing, deploying and auditing digital voting systems, and elections using them. There are other organizations working on technical issues related to voting, such as common data structure for ballots, application software for marking ballots, and alternative voting techniques. What makes OSDV different is that we work with the election world as it is, not adopting any position of advocacy or policy of change, staying focused on improving technology applied to the performance of elections.
More: complete answer in the full FAQ on OSDV.
Q: How can I learn more or become involved?
A: Contact us here! and let us know how you’d like to get involved. Also, download a copy of our manifesto, Lectio Reformo, which should provide some insight into our principles and plans.
