In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many jurisdictions have been examining new voting technologies for the upcoming presidential election. It appears, however, that these technologies are not secure.
University of Michigan and MIT election security researchers have found vulnerabilities in OmniBallot, an internet voting and ballot delivery system which 14 states are either using or plan to use. In their recent report, researchers outline security holes and offer recommendations for election officials and voters.
“States are adopting OmniBallot for laudable reasons: to help overseas voters, voters with disabilities, and those who can’t safely go to the polls due to COVID-19,” J. Alex Halderman, a professor of computer science and engineering at U-M, says. “But, as we learned in 2016, elections face serious security threats. That’s especially true for online voting.”
