Last updated on: 3/4/2009 | Author: ProCon.org

Dan S. Wallach, PhD Biography

Title:
Associate Professor of Computer Science at Rice University
Position:
Con to the question "Do Electronic Voting Machines Improve the Voting Process?"
Reasoning:

“I have come to the conclusion that paperless electronic voting systems, also called ‘direct recording electronic’ or ‘DRE’ systems, are fundamentally insecure and do not provide sufficient protections against the sorts of fraudulent behavior that have been historically used to manipulate the outcomes of elections in the U.S.”

Testimony before the Ohio Joint Committee on Ballot Security, Mar. 18, 2004
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
    Experts
Individuals with JDs, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to electronic voting machine issues. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to electronic voting machine issues.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Associate Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
  • Associate Director, A Center for Correct, Usable, Reliable, Auditable, and Transparent Elections (ACCURATE)
  • Testified before NIST/EAC Technical Guidelines Development Committee, Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs, Texas House Elections Committee, and Ohio Joint Committee on Ballot Security regarding electronic voting systems
  • Member, National Committee for Voting Integrity
Education:
  • PhD, Computer Science, Princeton University, 1998
  • MA, Computer Science, Princeton University, 1995
  • BS, Computer Science, University of California at Berkeley, 1993
Other:
  • None found
Quoted in:
  1. Do Electronic Voting Machines Improve the Voting Process?
  2. Do Electronic Voting Machines Store Votes in a Manner That Preserves Voter Anonymity?
  3. Is Logic and Accuracy Testing an Effective Method of Assuring That Electronic Voting Machines Are Operating Properly before an Election?
  4. Do Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails Disenfranchise Disabled Voters and Language Minorities?
  5. Should Electronic Voting Machines Have Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails?
  6. Do Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails Increase the Likelihood of an Electronic Voting Machine Malfunctioning?