Information Maven: Greg Meyer

The recent election in Washington State brought election security and verification (authentication and authorization of voters) to the forefront of many people’s minds. Bruce Schneier wrote an interesting piece this week on the possibility of hacking the papal vote.

Schneier’s post highlights a problem with the American voting system I haven’t considered before — notwithstanding the unusual 2000 Presidential election — which is that voters are identified and verified differently depending upon where they live. Looking at a system that has worked for 2000 years might make us think differently about ways to improve the election systems we have. The papal vote turns on paper ballots, as has the recent Washington elections, but those paper votes are much more effective when they are verified by the people who deliver them. I’m not in favor of a national ID card, but flashing a driver’s license when I go to the polls (the way I registered in the first place) and a voter ID card that I had to receive at my mailing address is a strong way to verify.