Election Assessment Hearing Survey of Submissions available online

[Kip Humphrey]

While the transcript of testimony is not yet available, the submitted documents have now been released online:

http://www.electionassessment.org/

Here is the official statement from the Elecion Assessment Committee:

July 12, 2005

Comments and Preliminary Observations following the June 29th
Election Assessment Hearing

Record of Submissions Published


On June 29, 2005, Election Assessment conducted an initial
hearing in Houston, Texas to identify how to understand election
process quality in the United States and to foster election
process improvement. Researchers, academics, computer
scientists, election officials, concerned citizens and process
observers presented testimony and evidence pertaining to the
quality of voting processes, describing concerns such as vote
result irregularities, lost votes and miscounts, voter
suppression, ballot access issues, election administration
practices, and defects associated with voting technology.

This initial record must be assessed for validity and further
appropriate actions must be taken to establish a sound basis for
understanding and improving the quality of election processes on
a factual basis. This foundation is essential for election
administrators, policymakers, standards bodies, advisors and
other voting participants to assure the integrity and reliability
of vote processes.

In accordance with standards of documentation generally upheld in
the case of public policy initiatives, we have compiled the
complete record of documents submitted to us, and we are
providing it for review to private and public stewards of
election processes, as well as to the general public. This record
may be accessed here
(http://www.electionassessment.org/Submissions/2005-06-29EAH/).<1>
We will issue a report of preliminary assessments, findings and
recommendations related to the evidence we have received shortly.

<1> This record, the raw results of an ongoing survey to identify
election process requirements, has not yet been subjected to
review and assessment.


Some Preliminary Observations Regarding Information Quality
Readiness in Election Processes:

* The record shows clear signs of an awakening of
understanding of the need to assure the reliability and
accuracy of the election processes by which the public
chooses their elected officials.

* There are some initial signs of recognition that
managing information quality in elections may be of
value, and some team efforts have been initiated to
attack major problems, but at the action level these
efforts have not reached even the level of short-range
"motivational" campaigns, let alone the establishment
of reliable preventive processes. We are not sure that
the question of whether it is absolutely necessary to
always have problems with information quality, has yet
been broached in a forthright manner in the public
discourse regarding elections in America.

* There appears to be considerable uncertainty regarding
organizational support for election process and vote
count quality. It appears that in many cases issues of
how to support information quality are being treated as
if they are matters to be left to application and
technology development.

* There are indications that the role of data audits in
assuring the quality of the information produced by
election processes is not understood or implemented
well.

* Any errors in the election processes that prevent
citizens from voting or that cause their vote to be
cast incorrectly as compared to their intent, or
counted incorrectly as compared to their intent, result
in disenfranchisement of those citizens.

* There is considerable rancor and dispute in the manner
in which issues regarding the quality of vote counts
are handled. Definitions of basic concepts are
inadequate; problems are raised without resolution.
Communication channels for corrective actions have not
been established. Problems are not faced openly and
resolved in an orderly way.


We Presently Recognize a Need to Undertake the Following General
Steps:

* Encourage the establishment of accountability for the
quality of election processes and the information they
produce

* Foster the application of sound principles and clearly
defined processes to assure election process and
information quality

* Perform a factual analysis of the systemic barriers to
information quality in United States elections

* Survey stakeholders in the election process to
understand the quality of the process

* Encourage the establishment of clearly defined roles
for stewardship of election information process quality

* Support fact-based quality assessment and improvement
projects initiated by citizens, election process
stewards and other election participants, which may
provide reliable baselines against which success may be
gauged

* Perform appropriate analyses of costs of election
processes and corrective measures necessitated to
correct causes of defects

* Encourage the establishment of processes to:

o Establish definitions and common understanding of
requirements

o Analyze and establish common understanding of the
elements of the election process

o Measure the quality of the election processes and the
information they produce

o Measure the costs of election processes and of
corrective actions for nonquality results

o Establish processes for correcting vote errors,
including audit, recount and revote processes

o Improve election processes on an ongoing basis until
we have near zero defects in them

[Yellow Horse]

1. Kick for Kip and a good, rational approach to Election Reform. nt

:kick:

[GuvWurld]

2. This is put together very well!

Great job, Kip. I love the look and feel of this presentation. Thanks to you and your team, and also to David Cobb for submitting the Voter Confidence Resolution into evidence.