Since the 2000 presidential election, the United States has been embroiled in debates about electronic voting. This title cuts through the media spin to assess the advantages and risks associated with different ways of casting ballots - and shows how e-voting can be the future of American democracy.
"Recent debates about voting technology and election reform have generated more heat than light, often leading to myopic views of security and premature policy fixes. Alvarez and Hall provide a constructive alternative--a calm, rational, data-tested, risk-based analysis of electronic voting. Their book is a model of how rigorous research can constructively inform public discussion and the policy process."--Thomas E. Mann, Brookings Institution
"This is a very important book. It will undoubtedly be cited by technologists, legislators, and advocates. The authors, carefully navigating in a politically charged field, present a documented and balanced approach to the question of electronic voting. About 70 percent of eligible Americans vote. Each of them is potentially affected by this book. There has never been a study like this one."--Michael Shamos, Carnegie Mellon University
"This book addresses a timely and important topic in election reform. The conclusions of the authors are that electronic voting systems, when evaluated correctly using risk analysis, pose fewer issues than digital scan or paper balloting systems, but that public debate has been unfortunately sidetracked into issues of fraud. This is one of the first books on this topic."--Paul Gronke, Reed College
"Will the machine lose your vote? Will it be hacked? Political scientists Alvarez and Hall provide a rigorous analysis of electronic voting, and they come down heavily in favor of the benefits of the new technologies, arguing that media coverage has emphasized the problems while downplaying the potential for empowering more citizens to vote."
---Michelle Press, Scientific American
