Sponsor: Electoral
Reform Working Group
Presenter: Jo Chamberlain, joc
at pobox.com 650.726.1949
Subject: Endorse AB852, which requires
that all voting equipment approved for use in CA elections use open-source
software.
Background and Purpose: Current
state law requires that the vote counting process be publicly observable.
Current
state law does not provide, however, a means for the public to provide
oversight of vote tabulation by electronic voting systems. Electronic
voting system vendors are not required to disclose voting system hardware
specifications and the manufacturer-created computer software that
is installed in the device is secret and proprietary.
The
people of California must have the right to know how their votes are counted.
All details of election administration must
be made freely available to the entire public in
a regular and systematic way.
AB 852 requires vendors to disclose relevant technical details of the hardware
and software contained within the voting system for which they are applying for
state certification. The Secretary of
State
shall manage a process whereby the public can obtain technical information free
of charge, including computer source code,
relevant
to voting systems under review for certification as well as systems that have
obtained state certification.
Full text of AB 852, click on link, type in AB 852: www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm
Proposal: Endorse AB 852 (Approval Threshold - any
proposal that receives any objection shall be removed from the consent
calendar before approval as per GPCA Bylaw 5-8.11)
Committee Decision: Consensus
Time Line: Immediate Endorsement
Resources: Press Release. Electoral Reform Working Group budgeted
monies for travel to testify at committee hearings in Sacramento