US Election Assistance Commission - Voluntary Voting System Guidelines Vote
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Section CommentsGeneral CommentsGlossary Comments
 
Name :   Cem Kaner
Organization :   N/A
Post Date :   9/30/2005

General Comments
Comment :  It should be possible for researchers to inspect and test the source code of a voting system, but a vendor
who wishes to protect its trade secrets should be allowed to release the source code under nondisclosure
agreements that balance the vendor's right to protect its inventions and the public's right to know about
the compromisability of a crucial tool of our government, the voting machine.

Voting system vendors protest that they are entitled to more protection than this. As private businesses,
they should be able to choose their customers and freely restrict all aspects of the distribution of their
products and of the technology underlying them. I am generally sympathetic to this view. However, the
sole purpose of voting system technology is to enable an essential government function. Insecurity or
unreliability of the system—and the perception of insecurity or unreliability—undermines that
government function in critical ways. Serving the public interest is at the essence of this technology.


As the public's representative, EAC has the right and responsibility to demand that we be able to assess our
ability to run the honest elections that are part of the foundation of a democratic society.