In the 2000 presidential election, the inherent weaknesses of our states' systems of voting were revealed in dramatic fashion. Due to an unprecedented occurrence, it was impossible to determine for many weeks the outcome of the presidential voting in the State of Florida and, therefore, to declare a winner in the election of a new President of the United States. Recounts were undertaken not only of votes but also of "intended votes," and terminology such as "butterfly" ballots and "hanging chads" became routine vocabulary of discussions in the daily news. The certification process, eventually decided by a narrow margin in the U.S. Supreme Court, came breathlessly close to creating a constitutional crisis. The almost surreal events of that election led to reconsideration of the ways in which balloting is done, and also to requests for new funding to modernize the voting processes in states and localities. As a result, efforts have emerged to explore and assess new technological options in voting, including the Internet, and to undertake research that can improve understanding of the limits of existing voting systems as well as the potential gains and limits associated with various voting system alternatives. Since the 2000 election, alternative voting systems have been proposed and/or attempted, most recently in the Spring 2004 primaries. Earlier this year, the Pentagon rejected the idea of Internet voting by military personnel overseas because of concerns about reliability and security. In November 2003, Fairfax County, VA, experienced major "glitches" with machines that did not register certain votes. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will organize and convene a workshop that brings together 25-30 technical and cyber-security experts, election officials, social and behavioral scientists, and public interest representatives to develop a research agenda. The workshop will employ both plenary and breakout sessions in order to produce a statement of priority research needs representing the best assessment of the expert group. This research agenda is intended to direct researchers to work that could be done about these important questions. To ensure that the research agenda receives widespread attention, project staff will prepare and disseminate: (a) a rapid summary of the meeting that highlights key agenda items; and (b) a succinct and accessible report detailing the priority research areas and their rationale. Press releases will accompany the distribution of both products and a webcast of a brief segment of the workshop's wrap-up session will be posted the Monday after the workshop. The research agenda will make an important intellectual contribution to the study of electronic voting technology by highlighting issues that would benefit from additional focused research and, in doing so, point researchers (and funders) to potential avenues of interdisciplinary research and collaboration across fields. The research agenda will have broader impacts as well. It will create opportunities for greater public involvement in deciding how to allocate support for such studies. Ultimately, the findings that emerge from work done based on this research agenda could contribute to two important areas: (1) future deliberations about the advantages and disadvantages of various voting systems, and (2) critical individual and policy decisions about voting in the U.S.
