Our Mission
OVC will not run your elections for you. OVC will provide jurisdictions with tools enabling them to run their own elections in a secure, verifiable, accessible, and transparent manner -- very affordable, too. The People will own the hardware. The People will own the software. Together, we will exemplify the concept of Self Governance.We need this new approach to correct a technically flawed voting system that weakens democracy.
The California Secretary of State's investigation amounts to a scathing indictment of the whole system.
We believe that,
- the whole voting system must be open to complete public scrutiny with no room for "trade secrets,"
- the voting system must include a durable paper ballot that can be handled, stacked, counted, and recounted if necessary,
- the voting system should invite public participation instead of discouraging it,
- your ballot should be cast in private but counted in public,
- accessibility features should be built into the system,
- we need to conduct elections in a cost effective manner,
Current Efforts
It will literally take millions of dollars to develop and certify hardware that could be used with our open source software. We need major funding support or a major hardware partner to accomplish this.
Most of OVC's work has been done by volunteers. In order to complete this work at the high standard of quality demanded by the application, we will need paid professional staff.
Until we achieve financial benchmarks, we will continue to work to make our solutions available to jurisdictions without regard to paid membership status.
Therefore, OVC will continue as a purely voluntary effort.
If you can help in any of these three areas, please feel free to contact us:
- Finding a hardware partner (or partners)
- Reaching out to jurisdictions
- Locate a source (or sources) for major funding
We thank everyone who has contributed to this effort so far.
Recent News & Events
The touch-screen holy grail
San Jose Mercury News Editorial
An electronic voting system that's cheap, secure, accurate and easy to use. One that uses `off-the`-shelf hardware and publicly examinable software. One that voters can trust.
A prototype of such a system -- the holy grail of election officials -- was on display last week in San Jose. It looked like the real deal.
Had the federal government underwritten the research behind it years ago, such a system might now be making its debut in voting booths. Instead, the demonstration took place in a conference room at the county government building with its creators in search of financial backers and government grants.
Open system might plug up holes in the e-voting process
by Mike Himowitz
Baltimore Sun
WHILE ELECTION officials, lawmakers and critics in Maryland and other states squabble over the reliability of electronic voting systems, a small group of computer scientists and engineers has been developing one that might actually work.
The Open Voting Consortium is scheduled to demonstrate a prototype today in San Jose, Calif. You can try a version yourself on the Web at www.open votingconsortium.org.
Although it's far from a finished product, the system retains what's good about current electronic voting systems. It's voter-friendly, easier than older systems to administer, and accessible to blind voters without assistance.
Study finds computer voting system widely vulnerable to tampering
by Brian Witte
Associated Press
An electronic voting system used in some states as an alternative to the troublesome punch-card ballots is highly vulnerable to fraud, computer security experts warned in a study released Thursday.
The study found "significant security flaws" with the system designed by Diebold Election Systems. The system was vulnerable to unscrupulous voters as well as "insiders such as poll workers, software developers and even janitors," who could cast multiple votes without a trace, the study said.
The system allows ballots to be cast on a 15-inch touchscreen.
The study was the first review of the software by independent researchers.
Study finds computer voting system widely vulnerable to tampering
Brian Witte
The Associated Press
An electronic voting system used in some states as an alternative to the troublesome punch-card ballots is highly vulnerable to fraud, computer security experts warned in a study released Thursday.
The study found "significant security flaws" with the system designed by Diebold Election Systems. The system was vulnerable to unscrupulous voters as well as "insiders such as poll workers, software developers and even janitors," who could cast multiple votes without a trace, the study said.
The system allows ballots to be cast on a 15-inch touchscreen.
