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1. Name: Peter G. Neumann, Ph.D.  
2. Title: Principal Scientist, SRI Computer Science Lab

3. Voting Machines
Position:		 Con to the question "Do electronic voting machines improve the voting process?"
4. Reasoning:

"The election process is an end-to-end problem relating to the integrity and privacy of votes. At present, almost every step in the process is a potential weak link. In principle, well-designed and carefully implemented computer systems could contribute to parts of that process, subject to more rigorous standards, evaluation, and open oversight. However, much work remains to make such approaches practical, effective, and trustworthy." (Dr. Neumann in a June 1, 2006 email to ProCon.org)

"All-electronic direct-recording voting machines (DREs), in the absence of voter-verified audit trails (VVATs), provide no meaningful assurances that votes are correctly processed." (Testimony before California Assembly Committee on Elections Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments, June 15, 2004)

5. Credibility
Ranking:		  Experts
Election officials, people with post-graduate degrees in a computer science, J.D.s, Members of Congress, or elected officials with significant involvement in, or related to, electronic voting machine issues

6. Involvement:
  • Principal Scientist, SRI Computer Science Lab
  • Chairman, National Committee for Voting Integrity
  • Board of Directors, Electronic Privacy Information Center
  • Founder, People for Internet Responsibility
  • Testified regarding electronic voting machine issues before the California Senate and California Assembly
7. Education:
  • Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 1961
  • S.M., Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 1955
  • A.B., Mathematics, Harvard University, 1954
8. Relevant Affiliations/Honors:
  • Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • 2005 - ACM SIGSAC Outstanding Contribution Award
  • 2002 - National Computer System Security Award
  • 1997 - ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Contribution Award
  • 1997 - Norbert Weiner Award, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
  • 1996 - Pioneer Award, Electronic Frontier Foundation
9. Contact Info:
Phone: (650) 859-2375 Fax: (650) 859-2844
E-Mail: Neumann@csl.sri.com
Web Site: www.csl.sri.com/neumann
10. Other: Select publications about electronic voting include:
  • "Verification for Electronic Balloting Systems," R. Mercuri and P. Neumann, Chapter 3 in Secure Electronic Voting, 2003
  • "Security Criteria for Electronic Voting," Computer-Related Risks, 1995
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