Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Bob Burnett (R- UT), Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, presented the Bipartisan Electronic Voting Reform Act of 2008 (S.3212) yesterday, a negotiated bill which supports technology that will provide all voters with private, secure, and auditable voting services.

Dr. Juan E. Gilbert, Professor of Computer Science and Software at Auburn University, testified at the hearing where the bill was introduced and explained that it “provides for future innovation” by allowing “electronic records, audio, video, and pictorial records,” in addition to paper records, to serve as independent voting verification. While such technology for voters to verify their ballots does not yet widely exist, Gilbert believes this bill will make it a higher research priority for the tech community. The bill also requires that citizens with disabilities will be able to verify their ballots using the same devices as those without disabilities. “Technology and innovation are the routes to ensuring this type of access is available,” Gilbert said. Currently, disabled persons often require assistance to operate voting machines, but this strips them of the right to a confidential vote.

Professor Gilbert highlighted his own invention, Prime III, which allows voters to cast their ballots “using their voice and/or touch.” People who cannot see, hear, read, those with limited mobility, and even people without hands can privately and independently vote using Prime III’s multimodal user interface. Moreover, Prime III allows those with disabilities and those without to verify their ballots using the same uniform system. Gilbert noted government funds could enable similar research and development in voting technology. This “demonstrates the potential impact of federally funded research and the need for innovation,” he said.

The bill also provides protection for the intellectual property of technology vendors who develop new voting machines, which Gilbert said was a “great way to encourage vendors to openly participate in the improvement of software” for elections. In previous contested elections, candidates and advocacy groups have questioned the software running on voting machines. The new legislation mandates extensive software testing and certification through a full disclosure process. But with the IP protection, companies will be able to protect their investment while also disclosing their voting software to public scrutiny. Funding for pilot tests is a further provision of the bill, in order to ensure that approved products are once again inspected before heading to market.