Film Length:  3 minutes 58 seconds

Stanley Robinson argues against article 22 based on...

1. The free demonstration makes us guinea pigs

2. He is against cellular phones and the keypads use RF

3. He thinks this system is vulnerable to hacking

4. He insinuates that anybody for this may have a financial motive.

Alan Reiss provides a set of rebuttals as follows:

What about the RF emission of the keypads?

E-voting handsets use low-power transmitters because the area to be covered is relatively small. Unlike cellular phones, whose transmitted power can reach 2 watts, an E-voting handset’s transmit power is limited to ½ of one watt. Which is 1/4th the power of a standard cell phone.  But please keep in mind that

-    one would typically not hold one’s e-voting handset to one’s ear

-    the strength of the electromagnet field generated by any transmitter falls very quickly with increased distance

-    when you vote, the handset will transmit for very tiny fraction of a second and over the entire meeting the total transmission time might be on the order of 1 second.

Notes:

1.  Cell phones also use spread spectrum, so there is no point in bringing    up e-Voting’s use of spread spectrum in a “health concern” discussion; it’s only relevant in a “freedom from hacking” or “reliable technologies” discussion.

2.  Cell phone max power is 2 watts

3.  Wi-Fi max power is 1 watt

4. 4. Describe the e-voting handset’s transmit power in watts, not milli-watts, because not everyone knows what a milliwatt is. “A tenth of a watt” or “half a watt” is more understandable and comparable to the cell phone and Wi-Fi transmit powers.
   

How do we know this equipment cannot be hacked?

The system’s multiple levels of security and frequency-hopping technology make hacking or jamming an extremely expensive undertaking. Since such actions are illegal, hacking or jamming would also be very risky.

 

It would be much cheaper and less risky to try bribing a couple of hundred attendees.

 

Alan Reiss has no financial interest in this and does this only as a good citizen and volunteer for the town of Wayland.