[EL] Appearance of recording devices at polling places?

Fri Nov 2 15:38:17 PDT 2012

Just wanted to chime in that Project ORCA doesn't stand for anything... it
actually refers to the whale. They just capitalize for some reason.
Confusing, yes.

On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 6:33 PM, David A. Holtzman <David at holtzmanlaw.com>wrote:

>  "Yes I know it's a gun, but I etched my voting choices on its handle.
> Saving a tree, y'know!"
>
> {Thank you for the link.  It's a very interesting paper.}
>
> {BTW, I once had myself filmed at a polling place ... see
> http://bit.ly/U54HYM} -dh
>
>
> On 11/2/2012 1:18 PM, Joseph Lorenzo Hall wrote:
>
> We recently published work that raised this growing issue in the
> context of security and privacy of the polling place (https://josephhall.org/papers/jhall-evtwote12.pdf ).
>
> The kicker is that some people seem to want to use their smartphones
> as a "cheat sheet" and either store their ballot choices there or
> bookmark pages that might go through ballot choices for reference
> while voting.  And, as we reference in the paper, there are
> applications for Android and iOS (iPhone) that are meant to be
> substitutes for the voter guide (you sign up to "save trees" by using
> the app voter guide and it stores your choices). So, in at least those
> counties (three CA counties) it will be problematic to ban smartphone
> usage.
>
> As a security and privacy guy, there's so much potential for abuse of
> these kinds of devices... not in the "hacking machines" sense but in
> the "undue influence" sense. However, I'm not sure there's much that
> we can do about their presence.
>
> Certainly, poll workers should be alert to anything approaching
> intimidation and discourage photography and video in the polling place
> during voting hours (it should be no big deal before or after polls
> are live). best, Joe
>
> On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 3:31 PM, David A. Holtzman <David at holtzmanlaw.com> <David at holtzmanlaw.com> wrote:
>
>  In polling places, it’s not just talking to people who have come to vote
> that can be intimidating.  Taking pictures, or looking like you might be
> taking pictures, can be intimidating as well.  (Especially when a voter
> might be carrying a marked ballot, or while a voter is marking a ballot.)
>
> The post below and this
> (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/01/project-orca-mitt-romney_n_2052861.html)
> “Project ORCA” thing (what does that stand for?) made me think.  I, for one,
> would have a hard time not using my phone or iPad’s camera if I was sitting
> all day in a polling place, with the device in my hands, waiting to check in
> each voter.  I’d simply want to document the experience.
>
> But having such a device out could be offensive and intimidating to a voter
> who knows what it can do.
>
> Can/should/do election officials prohibit the use or display of
> camera-containing devices at polling places (unless everyone in the room
> consents to photography)?
>
> How about having opaque tape on hand and asking people to tape over their
> lenses before they use such devices?  How about if people bring and use
> their own tape?
>
> Then how about microphone-containing devices?  I imagine officials ban
> talking on cell phones inside polling places, but smartphones can record
> audio.  What are the rules, or should the rules be, on
> cellphones/smartphones/similar devices?  Keep it in your pocket/purse?
>
>   - David Holtzman
>
> p.s  I understand that some smartphone addicts might rather leave the
> polling place than wait on line if they’re not allowed to use their devices
> while waiting!  But most serious line haters probably already vote by mail.
> And I guess the vast majority of smartphone users are engaged enough with
> some in-person or online community to be motivated voters, and so would
> endure a phoneless wait to vote (and vote by mail next time!).
>
>
>
>
> On 11/2/2012 9:28 AM, john.k.tanner at gmail.com wrote:
>
> I am amazed that the VA Democrats are filing suit, in effect, to allow True
> the Vote poll watchers to talk directly to voters. This is an invitation for
> poll watchers to harassment of minority voters.  Poll watchers should never
> talk to voters in the polls, only to poll workers. Otherwise things can
> rapidly spiral out of control. This is nuts.
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu> <rhasen at law.uci.edu>
> Sender: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
> Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2012 09:08:42
> To: law-election at UCI.edu<law-election at UCI.edu> <law-election at UCI.edu>
> Subject: [EL] ELB News and Commentary 11/2/12
>
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> --
> David A. Holtzman, M.P.H., J.D.david at holtzmanlaw.com
>
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