“Hacking the Vote,” was a seminar held on Thursday Sept. 22 that informed students on the technicality of voting.
Michael Sanseviro is the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students he hosted the event alongside Merle King, the Executive Director of Center for Election Systems.
“The things students don’t realize is that the millennials are the largest generation,” Sanseviro said. ”You will represent more voters than any other generation right now.”
Sanseviro opened the floor to Merle King, who spoke about election administration and voter safety. King explained that the election administration started out with property owners voting verbally on the steps of the courthouse. The process of voting has become a much more complex system over the years.
“The purpose of the voter machine was to standardize the interface between the election and the voter,” King said.
King explained that the electronic system keeps a more accurate count of votes and can track where a registered voter lives and in which the district they are eligible to vote. This is how voters know which location to go to in their county.
Then, King focused his speech on hacking and safety. King explained that the electronic system is certified error free and uses a traditional counting system. It counts someone’s vote and adds one.
King, however, explained that the system being hacked is less likely to happen because of strict procedures and state laws. There is physical and virtual security.
At the polls, election officials will face legal consequences for any influence on a voter. Before touching voting equipment, election officials have to match codes from a precinct. If the codes do not match then the officials can’t touch the equipment and have to dispose the electronic equipment.
“This week is for students to become more aware and engaged in the Democratic process,” Sanseviro said. “This seminar is looking at the concepts of voter safety.”
