The Dynamics of Counting and Recounting Votes

The limitations of current paper- and electronic-based voting systems and recount procedures can undermine the credibility of public elections. A corroborative, redundant voting system that performs vote counts via independent mechanisms at the polling place could address these shortcomings. After discussing the strengths and weaknesses of electronic and paper ballots with respect to initial counts, we discuss auditing approaches to corroborate the initial reported results and propose protocols and procedures to strengthen the auditing mechanisms.