Clarity Page Mostly Complete
We have largely finished a new site for the symposium, which you can find at the Clarity website. For foolish people who don't want to see an up-to-date website, you can read our last press release (2003-11-17) below:
Choosing Clarity: A Symposium on Voting Transparency
Choosing Clarity: A Symposium on Voting Transparency Saturday December 6, 2003 9:00am - 4:00pm Swarthmore College - Clothier Hall (Upper Tarble) 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081
The symposium will bring together people from across disciplines to discuss the logistics of American elections, in terms of the transparency to the public of each step in the voting process. Panels and forums will address various aspects of the topic, including election administration, technical perspectives, industry perspectives, and public opinion. This forum will allow people of differing perspectives to debate, and people with overlapping interests to pool their diverse knowledge and ideas.
The symposium will also work to find consensus motivated by the public good and compile recommendations for improvement of the voting process. Increasing public involvement in and understanding of the voting process will help develop both citizens' motivation to participate, and their confidence in elected officials' mandates.
Who will be there?
Featured speakers include:
- Rebecca Mercuri - An acclaimed computer security and electronic vote tabulation specialist. Mercuri is a Harvard University research fellow who until recently taught at Bryn Mawr
- Avante International Technologies - Manufactures voting machines; pioneered the use of smart card technology for access control, time-attendance, and debit applications since 1995.
- Roy Saltman - A leading consultant on election policy and technology. His elections systems consulting work was heavily cited in examining the recent California gubernatorial election.
- Beverly Harris - Author of Black Box Voting
- Barbara Simons - Co-Chair of the US Public Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery.
... and more!
Topical Panels
- Implementation Experiences: A series of short lectures followed by a Q&A will discuess the practical process of implementing and administering elections with differing types of voting systems. What goes on behind the scenes?
- Technical Perspectives: This panel will discuss the efficacy (security, reliability, etc.) of various types of electronic voting systems. What goes on behind the screen?
- Future Actions: This final, composite panel of all featured speakers will allow each speaker 7 minutes to voice their perspectives on the ideas and opinions in the conference, and will be followed by a Q&A, and then a reception.
Poster Sessions
All participants and speakers are welcome to present an exhibit, and to distribute literature in the poster sessions areas. There are designated times for informal discussion and networking in this manner.
Facilitated small group discussion session
Participants will be divided into small groups to discuss the issues addressed in the Informational panels, their personal perspectives, and own ideas for potential future actions. Summaries of these discussions will then be presented to the conference at large.