Dr. Dan Wallach, the head of Rice’s Computer Security Lab, has offered his opinion as to how Harris County should proceed in rebuilding its capacity to conduct elections following last Friday’s blaze at the county warehouse, which destroyed its entire inventory of electronic voting machines. With those 10,000 machines now gone, Dr. Wallach questions the wisdom of a plan that would simply seek to reconstitute a base of technology bought in 2002. Yes, the insurance check is in the mail, but what should the county consider in spending it? This would be a hard question at any time, but early voting for this fall’s election, in which Harris County voters will choose a candidate for governor and consider who should return to represent it in the U.S. House of Representatives, is just seven weeks away. I encourage you to read Dr. Wallach’s comments.
Christopher Bronk is the Baker Institute fellow in technology, society and public policy. He previously served as a career diplomat with the United States Department of State on assignments both overseas and in Washington, D.C.