Open source voting software creates trust. A healthy, thriving democracy - like what we aspire to - relies on trust.

Currently, our voting systems have been closed (proprietary). As citizens, we vote and hope our vote was accepted. We hope it’s accurate and counted. But we don’t know - not for sure.

Because the systems, and the code they run on, is hidden from us.

An Open Voting System

Imagine if, instead, those systems were viewable online. What if you, or I, could look at them anytime we wanted? What if experts could scrutinize them, talk about them, and make them better?

Would you trust a system like that? I would.

What About Bad People?

Maybe you’re worried about bad people looking at the code too. Anyone can see it. Anyone can find flaws to exploit - including the malicious.

You make a good point. But think about this - bad people are gonna do bad stuff.

You can hide your code, but they can:

• hack at it to discover vulnerabilities
• or just steal it

Bad people are gonna do bad stuff. It doesn’t matter if your code is easily viewable or you try and hide it. They’ll find a way to exploit it - if they really want to.

But having more eyes on the code means more people, good or bad, can find the flaws. If they’re the good people, they’ll get the flaws fixed. Fixed flaws can’t be exploited anymore.

Hiding your code means malicious people could still find flaws. Then they could exploit them for a long, long time. And you would never know.

Displaying your code, and having processes for fixing flaws quickly, makes your code more secure - over time.

It’s not foolproof, but it’s far better than hiding things and hoping no one finds it.

No More “Just Trust Us”

For years, voting companies have assured us their products are safe and secure. Even when problems arise - like confusing ballots or successful hacking by security researchers - they hide behind a velvet curtain and tell us “Everything is fine. Trust us.”

We should trust them. But they should earn that trust first.

If they want to earn our trust, they should use open source code. It should be freely available and open to scrutiny. Researchers should be able to bring security flaws to their attention and have them fixed quickly.

Being open and honest about security - the good or bad of it - is how you earn trust.

Voting is too valuable. Companies should never ask us to “just trust” them. Trust should be earned and verifiable.

Demand Open Source Voting Systems

Open source voting is long overdue. But it’s not too late.

If we want an open and transparent democracy, open source voting systems are crucial.

Don’t let the fearmongers scare you. There will be kinks as we transition. And nothing is 100% perfect. But the benefits far outweight the risks.

If we want a functional, healthy democracy to pass on to our children, and to our children’s children, an open source, transparent voting system is required. No more wasting time. Let’s make it happen.