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Do electronic voting machines improve the voting process?

Originally developed in the 1970s, direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines have become increasingly used nationwide. After the 2000 US presidential election's troubles with "pregnant” and "hanging” chads and the subsequent passage of the 2002 Help America Vote Act which swelled use of DREs, electronic voting technology became widely debated.

Proponents argue that electronic voting machines are secure, able to unambiguously capture the intent of a voter, capable of preventing residual votes, reliable, easy to use, calculate and report voting results faster, and are accessible to disabled, illiterate, and non-English speaking voters.

Opponents of electronic voting machines argue that DREs give too much power over public elections to their private manufacturers, are vulnerable to hacking and other forms of tampering, do not allow for meaningful audits and recounts, and do not offer voters a trustworthy way to verify their votes.

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Voting Machines ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit website that presents facts, studies, and pro and con statements related to direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines. Throughout this website, the term 'electronic voting machines' refers to direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines and not optical-scan machines. Although optical-scan machines use an electronic reader to tabulate the vote totals, voters mark their selections on a paper ballot and are not directly recording their votes into the machine.

Pros & Cons by Category

CORE QUESTION

Do electronic voting machines improve the voting process?

General

What are electronic voting machines?

What alternatives to electronic voting machines are currently used in the United States?

Are slot machines more reliable than electronic voting machines?

Did electronic voting machines work well in the November 7, 2006 general election?

Who are the companies that manufacture electronic voting machines?

Voter Comfort with Voting Machines

Do voters who use electronic voting machines find them easy to use?

Do voters have confidence that electronic voting machines record votes accurately?

Do senior citizens feel comfortable using electronic voting machines?

Do electronic voting machines provide more rapid results than other types of voting systems?

Help America Vote Act of 2002

What is the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) and how does it relate to electronic voting machines?

Does the Help America Vote Act of 2002 in effect mandate the use of electronic voting machines?

Voting Machine Manufacturers

Is it appropriate for private electronic voting machine manufacturers to facilitate public elections?

Is it appropriate for former election officials to work for electronic voting machine manufacturers?

Political Ties

Do electronic voting machine manufacturers have ties to a particular political party or candidates from a particular political party?

Did electronic voting machines in the 2000 and 2004 elections give an advantage to a particular political party or a candidate from a particular party?

Hacking, Fraud, and Security

Are electronic voting systems vulnerable to hacking?

Could electronic voting machine software be programmed to alter the outcome of an election?

Are electronic voting machines more susceptible to fraud than other types of voting machines?

Open Source vs. Proprietary Code

What is electronic voting machine source code?

Should source code for electronic voting machines be publicly available?

Ballot Definition

What is ballot definition?

Is there an effective method in place to assure the accuracy of ballot definition files?

Physical Tampering

Are there sufficient procedures in place to guard against physical tampering with electronic voting machines?

Is the practice of electronic voting machine "sleepovers" appropriate?

Machine Reliability

Are electronic voting machines mechanically reliable?

If there is a power failure during an election conducted on electronic voting machines will voting still be possible?

Audits and Recounts

What is the difference between an audit and a recount?

Is it possible to have a meaningful recount from an electronic voting machine?

Do electronic voting machines allow for meaningful audits?

Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails

What is a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT)?

Should electronic voting machines have voter verified paper audit trails?

Does the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) mandate voter verified paper audit trails?

Do voter verified paper audit trails disenfranchise disabled voters and language minorities?

Do voter verified paper audit trails increase the likelihood of an electronic voting machine malfunctioning?

Security of Vote Totals

How are votes from electronic voting machines tabulated?

Do electronic voting machines store votes securely?

Is transmitting votes from individual polling stations to the central tabulation center a secure process?

Are votes cast on electronic voting machines stored in a manner that preserves voter anonymity?

Accuracy in Recording Voter Intention

Do electronic voting machines accurately capture voter intent?

Is it possible for one person to vote multiple times in the same election on an electronic voting machine?

What are residual votes?

Do electronic voting machines prevent residual votes?

Types of Testing

What are the stages of testing electronic voting machines?

What is the difference between qualification testing and certification testing?

Is qualification testing conducted by independent and accredited entities?

Is Logic and Accuracy testing an effective method of assuring that electronic voting machines are operating properly before an election?

Is parallel testing an effective method of assuring the accuracy of electronic voting machines?

Is there a method in place to make sure the electronic voting machines used by voters on Election Day are fully certified and identical to the machines that were tested?

What standards are used to test electronic voting machines?

Software

What is a software 'patch'?

If a software 'patch' is installed, are electronic voting machines re-tested prior to being used on Election Day?

Cost

Is it less expensive to conduct an election using electronic voting machines compared to optical scan voting systems?

How much does it cost to purchase an electronic voting machine?

What are the ongoing and long-term costs associated with electronic voting machines?

Disabled Voters and Language Minorities

Are electronic voting machines accessible to disabled voters?

Are electronic voting machines the best way to provide access to language minorities?

Poll Worker Training and Preparedness

Do poll workers receive adequate training to facilitate elections conducted on electronic voting machines?

Do poll workers have sufficient support mechanisms to deal with unanticipated technical issues with electronic voting machines on Election Day?

Share your thoughts on voting machines and read, vote on, and reply to existing comments. Join the debate.

Critical Thinking Video Series: Do Electronic Voting Machines Improve the Voting Process?

ProCon.org Notices (archived after 30 days)

6/13/2013 – Critical Thinking Explained – What is critical thinking, and why is it so important? This episode of ProCon.org's Critical Thinking Video Series explores the ways critical thinking cuts through confusion, encourages citizen involvement, and leads to a stronger democracy.

6/7/2013 – New study shows students who discuss/debate controversial issues get higher NAEP test scores – See this and other studies showing the importance of teaching controversial issues to stimulate critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.

Archived Notices (archived after 30 days)

Last updated on 6/13/2013 2:31:23 PM PST

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