Professor Dill to Testify for Election Assistance Commission

Verified Voting Foundation Media Advisory

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Contact:

David Dill
Founder and Board Director
Verified Voting Foundation
david [at] verifiedvoting.org
+1 650 743-6139 (cell)

Pamela Smith
Nationwide Coordinator
Verified Voting Foundation
pam [at] verifiedvoting.org
+1 760 613-0172 (cell)


Professor Dill to Testify for Election Assistance Commission

Urges Accessible and Verifiable Voting Systems Standards

Pasadena, CA - On Thursday, July 28, the U.S. Election
Assistance Commission (EAC) is scheduled to hear testimony
on proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) from
Verified Voting Foundation Founder David Dill and others.

Dill is a Stanford University Professor of Computer Science
and Electrical Engineering and a nationally recognized
expert on systems verification. He will recommend that the
EAC require voter-verified paper records and implement
prudent computer security measures such as banning wireless
networking of voting systems.

WHAT: U.S. Election Assistance Commission Consideration of
Proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

WHEN: 10:00am - 5:00pm, Thursday, July 28

WHERE:

California Institute of Technology
Baxter Humanities Building
Baxter Lecture Hall (Third Floor)
1200 East California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91125
Map: http://www.caltech.edu/map/Caltech-map-2003-01-27.pdf

"The legitimacy of elected officials comes not from fair
and accurate elections, but from the people knowing that
the elections are fair and accurate," says Professor Dill.
"If voters cannot confirm that their votes have been
accurately recorded for post-election audits or recounts,
there is no evidence available that can be used to prove
the accuracy of an election."

"Voting machines of all makes and models are malfunctioning
routinely in nationwide elections," said Verified Voting
Foundation Nationwide Coordinator Pamela Smith.
"Voter-verified paper records provide the most reliable way
to count votes accurately and to instill public confidence
in election results whether the machines fail or function
according to plan."

For example, a single paperless e-voting machine in
Carteret County, North Carolina, permanently lost more than
4,400 votes in November, throwing a statewide race for
Agricultural Commissioner into confusion.

A rapidly increasing number of states - 24 at last count -
already have laws or policies requiring voter-verified paper
records. Legislatures of an additional 14 states and the
District of Columbia are considering voter-verified paper
record laws.

For this advisory:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6205

Professor Dill's Election Assistance Commission testimony:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6206
(to be posted during the hearing tomorrow)

Election Assistance Commission hearing announcement:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6137

Prior testimony of Professor Dill to U.S. Senate Rules
Committee:
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5789

Prior testimony of Professor Dill to Carter-Baker Commission
on Federal Election Reform:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=5987

Disabled accessibility of current voting technology:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/access

Verified Voting Foundation Response to AAPD Allegations:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6019

Professor Dill's bio:
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5617#dill

Map showing which states have VVPR requirements:
http://www.verifiedvoting.org

Latest details on verified voting legislation:
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/legis

E-voting malfunctions in the 2004 nationwide election:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=5302
and
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=5331


PRESSLIST: Media professionals are invited to subscribe
to the Verified Voting presslist at
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/presslist


About the Verified Voting Foundation:

The Verified Voting Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization championing reliable and publicly verifiable
elections. Founded by Stanford University Computer Science
Professor David Dill, the organization supports a
requirement for voter-verified paper ballots for all
voting technology, including electronic voting machines,
to allow voters to inspect individual permanent records of
their ballots and election officials to conduct meaningful
recounts and audits. The organization's website is at
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/

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