Download the Mobile Voting vs Iowa Bottom Line Infographic
Goal
Iowa Democratic Caucus: When the IDP chose to use Shadow for tabulation, they were trying to make things more convenient for themselves, not for voters.
Mobile Voting Pilots: Our goal with any mobile voting implementation is to increase access to the polls and drive turnout.
Bottom Line: We need to ensure that every new idea is tested, transparent, and secure – just like the eight successful mobile voting pilots conducted to date.
Technology
Iowa Democratic Caucus: Technology is brand new, untested, and created in secrecy.
Mobile Voting Pilots: Vendors and technology have been vetted, tested, and successfully used in numerous elections.
Bottom Line: We’ve long been proponents of embracing new technologies in elections and have numerous successful elections to point to, but the technology used in Iowa is not one of them.
Election Structure
Iowa Democratic Caucus: The technology was rolled by the state party with zero opportunities for input from stakeholders prior to the election.
Mobile Voting Pilots: Pilots employ a partnership model with election administrators, cybersecurity experts, accessibility experts, and voters.
Bottom Line: We partner with election administrators – who are experienced in conducting elections effectively and safely – to ensure systems are usable, that best practices are used, and that people are properly trained.
Testing
Iowa Democratic Caucus: Getting the tech right is paramount to supporting any large election and the issues in Iowa only further support the need for holding more pilots in controlled settings.
Mobile Voting Pilots: We started small and conservatively. In West Virginia’s 2018 primaries, we started with deployed military from two counties. After that went well, we expanded to include deployed military from 24 counties for the general election.
Bottom Line: We realize security and usability are iterative processes and recognize the importance of starting small to allow opportunities for feedback from stakeholders.
Contingency Planning
Iowa Democratic Caucus: Iowa did not have a backup plan in place for the failure of their application.
Mobile Voting Pilots: All our pilots have employed a paper trail to serve as a backup in case of inconsistencies.
Bottom Line: We support and strongly encourage the use of technologies that provide a paper backup for technology failures, as well as for transparency.
Courtesy: Mobile Voting Project