Mirrored from here, where there is a good discussion in the comments.
https://canncon.locals.com/post/989334/technology-in-vote-counting-isnt-necessarily-bad
"Paper Ballots Everywhere" should be a thing. But "Paper Ballots Only, Everywhere" will likely fail. This is simply because the "Paper Ballots Only" is not a realistic solution for many (more populated) areas that need an electronic way to count the paper ballots. Either their law requires it, or they won't have enough support to count paper ballots, or both.
We need more than just proof of the problem - we need a problem-solution pair. This requires different skillsets - different technical people in the room (not just cyber security experts), listening to what voters and legislators want from their voting system. This shapes the election integrity movement in a reasonable, cost-effective, productive way for all. It gives the anxious and silent people a way to passively approve a solution with the problem - that's how we win.
Please consider subscribing (for free) to CannCon and joint the discussion. Also please consider donating. Rough estimate for volunteer engineers to prototype and test a solution is probably less than 100k USD. At the moment, can only accept Cardano (ADA). I give my word any donations will be transparently and responsibly used for this effort.
addr1q9rf0x3q9sh9vuey0pgthfqp3xwfvku6eh5j20pmgaxjdlzdj36pwcnvq9lqx8gxnukxapnljy8kkhhdzw6krrw4kxqsk4fcfe
-----Questions mirrored-------
Documentation that would help get this started includes clear explanations of what legislators, voters, etc. want in a paper ballot counting system. Organizing this feedback from many different counties or groups around the country is too much for one person, but necessary to get started.
If others could help collect at least some of the following information, it is much easier to get started from the technical side:
a. example ballots from around the country: helps me determine paper dimensions, paper type, distance between bubbles
b. allowed writing utensils: pen, pencil, sharpies, hole-punches, other (?)
c. OK if the ballot had to be held in place on the ballot counter? (think of a paper clipboard) Or does it need to freely move on the ballot counting device?
d. what kind of installation, maintenance, or other educational documentation is needed at each local level?
e. what makes a voter feel most comfortable (lights, display, internet connection, etc.) that would assure them their ballot was counted correctly?
f. Would a voter be comfortable if given two numbers (ballot ID, ballot counter ID) to make sure their vote was counted correctly after they leave the polling place? I hope this would be satisfactory so that no PII (personally identifiable information, such as names, signatures, etc.) need to be digitally recorded.
g. do counties require a removable storage medium (like USB or other?) for chain of custody of the data? Or is it OK if all all digital records be stored on the ballot counting machine permanently?
h. if the ballot counter device permanently stores all data, what is an acceptable cost per machine to re-order a new machine each voting year?
i. how many times does a ballot counting machine get re-used on voting day? In other words, how many paper ballots need to be counted per day?
j. how long is the voting day? 8 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours?
k. are there any pre-election-day auditing tests of the machines to prove they are functioning properly?
m. are there shipping shock / vibration / vandalism / other damage requirements?
n. do any paper ballot counters need to run on battery only, or is there always a wall power plug available?
o. are there requirements for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, blind, or other voter situations?
p. if the electronic paper ballot counting machine did not record any personal information, are passwords needed at all? (By the town, the county, or by the voter?) As an example, a combination of two numbers (ballot counter, paper ballot number, or a number chosen by the voter) could be recorded and provide that person, and only that person, proof their vote was counted correctly. Everyone else would only be able to see the totals of the votes.
q. What exactly is needed to make a paper ballot counter very easily auditable?
r. what other laws or other policies need to be complied with?
Appreciate if anyone is willing to help collaborate online and research these things. If we only had some of the above answers, it would help to create the engineering design documents and order prototypes. After prototypes are tested, we could see if the people feel they have what they want, or if some design adjustments need to be made.
