Highlights
-CIA cyber-security expert states computerized electoral systems are vulnerable to tampering at various stages throughout the process
-CIA reported apparent vote-rigging in Venezuela, Macedonia, and Ukraine
-Countries utilizing electronic voting systems will have to devise an alternative to paper receipts since manipulation can occur throughout the process
In February 2009, a cyber-security expert with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), presented the United States (US) Election Assistance Commission with evidence that computerized electoral systems are susceptible to manipulation at various stages throughout the process. While not addressing US specific approaches, the CIA cyber-security expert stated that an analysis of foreign countries’ experiences with computerizing their election systems revealed challenges to the electronic safeguarding of increasingly computer-dependent elections. His concerns are the most recent in a slew of criticisms regarding the vulnerabilities of electronic voting systems.
The CIA’s presentation to the US Election Assistance Commission highlights the importance of developing an electronic election system that is secure and accurate in the way it processes and stores votes. If a nation’s voters are not confident in the election methods and equipment used to tally votes, the underlying democratic election process in that nation could be rejected by voters and could possibly throw a country into violent political turmoil.
Vulnerabilities of Electronic Voting
In a presentation before the US Election Assistance Commission, the CIA cyber-security expert stated that computerized electoral systems could be manipulated in five stages, from altering voter registration lists to posting results. The main problem with software driven devices used in electronic voting machines is that they can be hacked by undetectable malicious code or in simple language. Additionally, any voting machine connected to the Internet could be hacked, and machines not hooked up to the Internet could be hacked wirelessly if the machine has a wireless card imbedded in its hardware. While eleven US states have banned or limited wireless capability in voting equipment, election officials were not always aware when wireless cards were imbedded in their machines.
CIA Investigation into Electronic Voting
The CIA began monitoring electronic voting in foreign countries based on fears that foreign nationals could hack into electronic voting systems in the United States. The CIA has uncovered apparent election-rigging schemes in Venezuela, Macedonia, and Ukraine. Problems in these countries not only question the legitimacy of election results, but also raise concerns regarding the security of electronic voting in general. Additionally, the CIA cyber-security expert studied nearly three-dozen countries using electronic voting systems and concluded that most Web-based election systems are insecure, even those that leave paper receipts. He argued that paper audit trails do not guarantee electronic voting security since the votes can be changed when or after they are transmitted to a master computer tabulating the votes or when they are posted online.
More specifically, he revealed that the CIA believes Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have fixed a 2004 election recount in his favor by manipulating the electronic voting system. The Venezuelan voting machines used were made by Smartmatic, a company that partnered with Chavez’s government and was owned by US-based Sequoia systems until 2007. Sequoia also provides voting machines for 16 US states and the District of Columbia. In the Ukraine, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko lost the 2004 presidential election because supporters of Russian-back Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych snuck an unauthorized computer into the Ukraine election committee national headquarters.
Electronic Voting in the United States
Inside the United States, critics have continually voiced concerns with electronic voting systems. Criticisms of electronic voting grew after contested election results in Ohio, Florida, and other swing states. In 2002, Congress created the United States Election Assistance Commission to oversee federal elections and regulate the electronic voting machine industry. The Election Assistance Commission has been criticized for failing to promptly develop a comprehensive infrastructure to address the problems of electronic voting machines. Specifically, the Commission has been under fire for giving states more than US$1 billion to buy electronic equipment without first setting performance standards.
Outlook
As electronic voting becomes more widespread, it is expected that the concerns presented to the US Election Assistance Commission will fuel a new wave of anxiety over the security and integrity of electronic voting systems. We expect the advantages of electronic voting systems such as reductions in the cost of running elections and faster election results will continue to attract governments to these systems. But if the public is to embrace these systems, new techniques to ensure their security and integrity will have to be developed and tested before they are deployed.
