What was missing from many of the voting-centered discussions at Def Con's forums were assessments of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the varying analog and digital technologies used in different stages of the voting process, and how to combine their virtues. Instead, there's narrower thinking in different silos:
- The electronics cannot be trusted;
- The most aggressive new defenses are far from perfect;
- The finish-line voter verification tools will likely falter under existing state recount law;
- Even if Congress appropriates millions for new machinery, the vendors and many local election officials are pushing systems to make their lives easier -- not the process more secure;
- And today's data and disinformation landscape is poised to prey on the public, undermining the political process writ large.
Las Vegas, where Def Con 27 was held, is usually a place where people escape from the harsher realities of their lives. But when it comes to the current state of America's election infrastructure, it was hard to be optimistic about 2020 when considering what was showcased at Def Con.
This article was produced by Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute.
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