Oscar Voting System Not A Fit for Public Elections, Cyber Security Experts and Voting Rights Advocates Warn

Tele-presser TODAY to Advise Policy Makers, Public Against Internet Voting for Public Elections

Computer security experts and voting rights advocates are warning that the online voting system used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for this year’s Oscars should not be used in public elections. Today at 1 pm ET/10 am PT, nonpartisan experts in cyber security and election reform advocates will hold a telephone press conference to discuss the critical weaknesses in Internet voting systems, why they are vulnerable to undetectable cyber attack, and the potential consequences for American democracy if they are used in local, state or federal elections. Internet voting includes the return of marked ballots through email, e-fax, and web portals.

Voting system experts will also discuss the lack of regulation, standards or certification for Internet voting and publicly available testing or security evaluations. They will review National Institute of Standards and Technology and Department of Homeland Security’s warnings that secure Internet voting for public elections is not “feasible” at this time and that it is “premature.” The experts will explain the possible differences between balloting for the Oscars, which is subject to the rules and procedures of a private body, and public elections, which require state and local officials to abide by a complex set of state and federal laws.

WHO: Pam Smith, president, Verified Voting Foundation

Susannah Goodman, director of Common Cause’s Voting Integrity Program

Barbara Simons, board of advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, former president of the

Association of Computing Machinery, also served on the Security Peer Review Group for the US Department

of Defense’s Internet voting project (SERVE) and author of “Broken Ballots.”

David Jefferson, computer scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, board chairman, Verified Voting

Foundation, Board of Directors, California Voter Foundation, served on the Security Peer Review Group

for the US Department of Defense’s Internet voting project (SERVE).

WHAT: Tele-press conference with nonpartisan experts in cyber security and election reform

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 14 at 10:00am PST/1:00pm EST

DIAL-IN: (877) 317-2314 and passcode: Internet Voting