Research at Auburn Making History
A s an American one of the most important rights we have is the right to vote. Every citizen should have a fair and equal opportunity to have their input into our nation. In recent years current voting systems have proved inadequate for many reasons and to many people. Those with disabilities have encountered an array of problems on voting day; it is often difficult to cast a vote independently, securely or privately.
A team of 10 Auburn graduate students and faculty members decided to face this problem head on and provide a solution. Researchers in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering along with Indiana University, IBM and the Center for Governmental Services here at Auburn have teamed up to create a new voting system.
The Prime Voting System or Prime III could eliminate hanging chads and potentially revolutionize voting culture. The machine was first created in 2005 in a lab on campus and tested the following year in Haley Center. The name comes from the three methods of voting the system employs: visual, touch and speech.
Prime III accommodates all people regardless of disability. With the main goal of security, researchers focused on creating an interface voters would trust and also find easy to use. The system allows voters to cast their vote using touch or voice. The uniquely designed screen allows voters to simply touch to enter their ballots. There is also an option of using a headset to privately cast your vote. Each option is randomly assigned a number and voters are prompted to say the number associated with their choice out loud. There is no threat of eavesdropping because the numbers change for every voter.
The researchers developing Prime III conducted extensive research in Uniontown, AL. and in Haley Center on campus. Participants were asked to vote for their favorite burger and fries from three fast food chains so to not be at the risk of judgment due to their political preferences. These informal studies yielded promising results. Most participants preferred using Prime III over current systems. Thanks to founding provided by AU Outreach more extensive testing will be conducted at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and continued in Uniontown.
This secure voting alternative will offer a larger base of voters the opportunity to participate in the upcoming elections. It successfully blends usability with security concerns, which are becoming ever more important in today’s society. This important research taking place here at Auburn will prove helpful to many people and improve the voting process.
Click to launch pop up and have the text portion read to you.
