ITAA eVoting Industry Coalition DRAFT Plan

This draft PR plan for e-voting machine companies was posted on the internet by e-voting activist Bev Harris; its validity has been confirmed by the author, the Information Technology Association Of America's Enterprise Solutions director, Michael Kerr. The plan was drafted in August 2004; see the Black Box Voting website for an account of an industry conference call discussing the following plan.

ITAA eVoting Industry Coalition DRAFT Plan, Activities, and Pricing

Purpose:
Create confidence and trust in the elections industry and promote the adoption of technology-based solutions for the elections industry. Repair short-term damage done by negative reports and media coverage of electronic voting. Over the mid- to long-term, implement strategy that educates key constituencies about the benefits of public investments in electronic voting, voter registration and related applications.

Audience:
Public confidence in the integrity of the ballot box is absolutely critical to the democratic process. To build such confidence, the vendor community must address several constituencies:


 * Media
 * Elected officials at the federal, state and local level
 * Elections administrators, procurement officials and others involved in the purchase decision
 * Academia
 * General public
 * International counterparts
 * Systems integrators and related government contractors

Success Benchmark:
Achieve widespread acceptance among key constituencies that electronic voting is not just an alternative to other balloting systems, but is the "gold standard" to which all should aspire.

Model 1
Goals:
 * Help assure the integrity of IT used in the electronic voting process
 * Generate positive public perception of the eVoting industry
 * Speak with a unified voice on industry standards
 * Develop liaison with key constituencies in order to build broader support for e-voting
 * Improve security of technology and development/deployment processes
 * Improve public awareness of voting technology security
 * Reduce substantially the level and amount of criticism from computer scientists and other security experts about the fallibility of electronic voting systems.
 * Adopt an industry code of ethics
 * Generate collaborative research on non-competitive issues

Major Activities:

Deliverables
 * Establish Blue Ribbon Task Force to evaluate voting technology development and implementation processes, propose process improvements, and establish code of ethics.
 * Produce and publish collaborative research on non-competitive issues - 2 annual white papers.
 * Assess public attitudes about electronic voting on a regular basis through public opinion surveys, focus groups and other research.
 * Hold seminar/briefings/webcasts on Blue Ribbon Task Force findings, code of ethics launch, white paper releases.
 * Create comprehensive media plan to articulate key messages, identify outreach strategy and tactics, synchronize timing of media outreach to election milestones and other significant events, and raise visibility of issues, activities and the ITAA Election Systems Task Force itself.
 * Develop liaison to national associations, government oversight bodies, customer trade associations
 * Attend national conferences, work to add agenda items to programming
 * Arrange guests at briefings, monthly meetings, receptions
 * Arrange meetings with key government executives, lawmakers, staff.
 * Provide customer interface opportunities
 * Arrange guests at briefings, monthly meetings
 * Develop a regular dinner, reception program.

Regular Meetings/Events
 * Hold monthly meetings in Washington D.C. or Dallas area
 * Hold bi-annual full membership meetings

Fees in addition to annual dues: $100,000 - $125,000

Model 2
Goals: Same as Model 1. Plus: Perform a detailed evaluation of voting technology security standards and certification processes.

Major Activities:

Deliverables
 * 1 - 7. Same as Model 1
 * 8. Retain consulting firm or think tank for review and evaluation of voting technology security standards and certification processes.  Publish findings/recommendations.

Meeting/Events
 * Hold monthly meetings in Washington D.C. or Dallas area
 * Hold bi-annual full membership meetings

Fees in addition to annual dues: $125,000 - $150,000

Model 3
Goals: Same as Models 1 and 2.

Plus: Perform a detailed evaluation of voting technology security standards and certification processes.

Plus: Re-engineer voting technology security standards and certification processes, based on findings in report.

Plus: Build media, public, and customer awareness of new security and certification processes.

Major Activities:

Deliverables
 * 1 - 7.  Same as Models 1 and 2.
 * 8. Retain consulting firm/think tank for review and evaluation of voting technology security standards and certification processes. Publish findings and recommendations.
 * 9. Implement report findings/recommendations; re-engineer security standards and certification processes.
 * 10. Launch public relations campaign to build media, customer, and public awareness of new security and certification processes.

Meeting/Events
 * Hold monthly meetings in Washington D.C. or Dallas area
 * Hold bi-annual full membership meetings

Fees in addition to annual dues: $200,000+

Schedule
With the Iowa caucuses (and therefore the start of the primary season) only five months away, time is exceedingly short to implement this plan. Americans must have full faith in the efficacy of the election systems infrastructure. Numerous factors, including the overarching need to conduct the 2004 election with no "hanging chad" controversies, suggest that work commence with a minimum of delay.

ITAA recommends the following schedule of major milestones to bootstrap this effort:

August 29	 - ITAA membership applications have been completed by the core group of election systems companies

September 3 - Election Systems Task Force conducts teleconference to review and refine plan

September 12 - Plan is approved, work groups established and implementation begins

September 22 - Invitations tendered to candidates for "Blue Ribbon" Board; media plan circulated

September 30 - First public opinion survey goes into field

October 14 - Launch event to report survey findings, announce task force, blue ribbon board

Conclusions
ITAA is ready, willing and able to work with firms in the election systems sector to build and, as necessary, restore, a high degree of confidence in the integrity of e-voting and related applications. ITAA provides an ideal forum to undertake this program, offering:


 * a sophisticated government affairs and public relations apparatus;
 * over 20 years of industry engagement in public sector contracting;
 * the premier trade association membership of contractors involved in the federal systems marketplace;
 * an on-going state and local advocacy program;
 * an existing Election Systems Task Force and internal staff resources well schooled in the underlying issues;
 * and a track record of lobbying for federal funding to upgrade state and local electronic systems.

ITAA applauds the companies involved at the Election Center meeting for having the vision and determination to address the current doubts about election systems on an industry basis. Working together, ITAA believes that these companies have already taken the first step to meeting the common challenge.

End of ITAA draft e-voting PR plan

SourceWatch Resources

 * Diebold Election Systems
 * Election Center
 * electoral fraud
 * e-voting
 * e-voting PR
 * Help America Vote Act
 * R. Doug Lewis
 * undermining elections
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004
 * voting machine