Collaborative Research: CT-T: Following the Paper Trail: Reliable Processing of Voting Records for Trustworthy Elections

美国国家科学基金会CEIS/CNS Form 7审查分析和建议提案编号：0716368 PI：Daniel Loprest i Institution：LeHigh University Proposal编号：0716393 PI：George Nagy Institution：Rensselaer PolyTechnic Institute子提案编号：0716647 PI：ELISA H.Barney Smith Institution：Boise State University子提案编号：0716543 PI：Christopher Borick Institution：Muhlenberg College副标题：协作研究CT-T：遵循纸质记录：可靠处理可信选举提案的投票记录摘要关于包括物理记录的规定，以手工或机器标记选票的形式，或作为选民验证的纸质审计线索(VVPAT)，是保证安全选举的核心。然而，在最初计票或进行审计时处理这类记录本身就提出了一系列问题，这些问题跨越了广泛的技术和社会边界。这个项目的目的是研究目前纸质记录在值得信赖的投票系统中更令人讨厌而不是不可或缺的组成部分的问题。具体地说，主要调查人员正在努力表征作为光学扫描中选票布局和质量的函数的标记感测误差的统计分布，检查基于选票图像的无偏见视觉审计的方法，调查被称为同质类别显示(HCD)的概念可以促进人工重新计票的可能性，并评估在处理与直接记录电子(DRE)系统一起使用的VVPAT时可能出现的识别错误。他们还感兴趣的是，这些问题对按照运作限制测试投票系统的纸张处理部件的程序有何影响，包括大多数投票工作人员接受的培训不多。这项关于投票技术的工作得到了什么支持？和支持？他们正在进行一项计划中的调查和重点小组，以衡量选民的信心和接受度，并找出常见的误解和关切，包括向残疾选民提供便利。除了对开发更可靠和值得信赖的投票技术产生广泛影响外，该项目还对以人类可读形式编码的任何信息的高度精确的计算机处理具有更广泛的影响。

National Science Foundation CISE/CNS Form 7 Review Analysis and Recommendation Proposal Number: 0716368 PI: Daniel Lopresti Institution: Lehigh University Lead Proposal Number: 0716393 PI: George Nagy Institution: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Sub Proposal Number: 0716647 PI: Elisa H. Barney Smith Institution: Boise State University Sub Proposal Number: 0716543 PI: Christopher Borick Institution: Muhlenberg College Sub Title: Collaborative Research CT-T: Following the Paper Trail: Reliable Processing of Voting Records for Trustworthy Elections Proposal Abstract Provisions for the inclusion of a physical record, in the form of hand- or machine-marked ballots, or as a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), are central to guaranteeing safe and secure elections. However, the processing of such records during the initial counting of votes or in the conduct of audits has raised its own set of problems which span broad technical and social boundaries. The aim of this project is to study issues that currently make paper records more of a nuisance than an integral component in trustworthy voting systems. Specifically, the principal investigators are working to characterize the statistical distribution of mark sense errors as a function of ballot layout and quality in optical scanning, to examine approaches for unbiased visual auditing based on ballot images, to investigate the possibility that a concept known as homogeneous class display (HCD) can facilitate manual recounts, and to evaluate recognition errors that may arise in processing the VVPAT used with Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems. They are also interested in the effects these issues have on procedures for testing the paper handling components of voting systems in accordance with operational constraints, including the modest training received by most poll workers. This work on voting technologies is supported by ? and supports ? a planned survey and focus groups they are conducting to measure voter confidence and acceptance and to identify common misconceptions and concerns, including accessibility to disabled voters. Beyond its broad impact on the development of more reliable and trustworthy voting technologies, this project more generally has implications for the highly accurate computer processing of any information encoded in human readable form.