January General Meeting  

"Technical Requirements for Voting Systems"

Presented by
Mr. John P. Wack
Computer scientist and researcher, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Thursday, January 15, 2009
at the
The Golden Bull Restaurant
In
Gaithersburg, MD

The cost is $10.00 for members and students or $20.00 for non-members.

Please register using the link above or by contacting Mrs. Michele Withnell at (301) 461-2469 or .  Please note:  Meal preferences cannot be guaranteed if one is not registered by Tuesday, January 13, 6:00pm. 

Important Notice: ASQ Section 509 is responsible for the meals for all "No shows" at The Golden Bull Restaurant.  Please help us control our losses by notifying our Arrangements Chair Mrs. Michele Withnell at to cancel your dinner prior to the event.  Thank you for your cooperation!

Program Summary:

Inauguration Day is approaching and have you ever wondered about voting system especially the control of the electronic ballet and counting (remember US president election 2000).  This talk will focus on various new technical requirements for voting systems that are included in the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) draft that was sent to the Election Assistance Commission by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in August, 2007. These requirements focus on assuring a greater degree of software quality and provide more robustness of testing. The talk will also focus on the state of voting systems in general, detailing which standards are currently in place and when the new standards are expected to be required.

Speaker Biography:  John P. Wack

John P. Wack is a computer scientist and researcher at the NIST.  He has authored and managed a variety of government agency-related security guidance and assistance activities and reports, notably in the area of voting security, smartcards, and network security.  His most recent work is in managing the voting team at NIST responsible for developing the next version of the VVSG.

His goals at NIST include making technology more understandable and manageable by the masses of system administrators, small business, and others who need to understand key computer information technology concepts and which way the technology is being developed and used.  In voting, his goals include producing new standards that result in an improved testing and development process for electronic voting systems and in producing requirements for voting systems that are secure, usable, and accessible.

See the January 2009 General Meeting Announcement for more information and directions to the Golden Bull Restaurant.