The TNS Elections voting protocol has been adapted to allow for online voting, while maintaining the spirit of the less confidential and less secure signature-based authentication method originally spelled out in the Constitution. The development of these procedures took place on the ExCom discussion list in early 2002. To read about the discussions surrounding this, see the [tns-excom] discussion list messages from early 2002, including the message I posted (and the subsequent thread) to [tns-excom] the afternoon of 1/7/2002, entitled "[tns-excom] RFC - Voting procedures" -- this was a Request For Comment.

Qualified voters are those who have dues paid up at the time of selecting addresses for the first issue of Vidya in the even-numbered years.

As described in the TNS constitution, voting opens with the first issue of Vidya (January), and closes March 1.

Each member who is qualified to vote is given a unique Voter Authentication Number (VAN) which is generated and assigned randomly as an 8-character alphanumeric string (like a software Product Key). This random and unique code is analogous to an electronic signature, except that it is anonymous. The codes are generated and provided in such a way that no one knows another member’s VAN.

The ballot is prepared as a separate enclosure that is preaddressed for return mailing and included in the Vidya envelope along with the election issue. This allows for envelopes sent to subscribers and newly lapsed members to have the ballot omitted, and also allows members to have an intact Vidya (with no missing pages after submitting the ballot). Additionally, since each ballot has a unique Voter Authentication Number printed on it, it would be impractical to bind the Vidya with the separate unique ballot page.

The Constitution says that the EO should compare the signature on the ballot with a "signature card" but this is not practical and defeats the anonymity measures. The procedure needed updating (as does the Constitution). The use of signature cards in today’s world of identity theft and privacy issues is not acceptable. Newly joining members would not want to be required to furnish a signature sample (other than on the application form), since that has now become data which must be protected.

Each ballot has the random ID number printed on it and a list of all generated numbers goes to the Elections Officer (EO). The ballot page is printed with the mail-in address of the Elections Officer on the opposite side, so it can be marked, folded, taped, stamped, and mailed. The VAN is comprised of two groups of four digits. The digits are selected from 1 through 9, and the alphabet (not including I or O), giving on the order of a trillion (10¹²) possible numbers, of which about 600 are generated. These are divided into two groups, the first with the exact number of members qualified to vote at the time of address selection and label preparation of the current Vidya, and the rest as a second group of spare VANs to be allocated to those members who renew or join while the polls are open.

The ballots contain the voting instructions, the list of candidates, checkboxes for preferential ranking, and the EO return address. The voting instructions have been defined and written by the Elections Officer, and are included on each ballot. [To see the ballot, visit www.triplenine.org/members/ballot2002.asp or www.triplenine.org/members/ballot2004.asp]. The ballot is designed for convenient mail-back by using a layout that allows it to be marked, folded in half (with the markings on the inside, and the EO address on the outside), taped (the post office does not approve of staples in the mail piece), stamped and mailed to the EO.

The ballots are produced in two steps; first, a layout is printed without any VAN printed in the space for it as a master document. Then, using Word Merge, 600 sheets of plain paper are printed with nothing but the VAN on it in the correct location. The sheets are printed in batches of 100, with a color sheet then inserted between each 100 printed sheets for easy counting. The ballot master document (one double-sided letter-size page) is then given to a print shop to copy onto the 600 sheets that only have the VAN on it (supplied to the printer along with the blank color divider sheets), resulting is 600 uniquely numbered ballots. These are also folded in half by the printer for later insertion into the Vidya envelopes along with the Vidya. The editor is supplied with labels grouped first by US and non-US (due to different postages needed), and within each group the grace issue labels are separated out (along with the subscriber’s labels, if any) since those envelopes do not receive a ballot. The editor is also supplied with the stack of ballots pre-allocated to qualified voters (the exact number of ballots required), and a second stack of spares. The editor shuffles the pre-allocated ballots and inserts one of them into each envelope.

Although there is a grace period of one issue for those who have recently lapsed, such members are not eligible to vote unless a dues payment is received prior to the close of the voting polls. When lapsed members or newly joining members pay the dues after the Vidya address selection and before the close of the voting period, a ballot with VAN is allocated to that member. If the payment was recorded within a week of the end of the voting period, the VAN is emailed to the member to enable immediate online voting (candidate statements are linked from the online ballot), otherwise it is mailed. In the former case, the associated unmailed ballot is held in a separate group. At the close of the voting period, these and all unused ballots are mailed to the EO for archiving. If the member is newly joining or is a long lapsed (lapsed by more than one V-number), a copy of the Election Issue Vidya is also mailed.

Completed paper ballots are to be returned to the EO by postal mail or by fax. Alternatively, the vote may be entered online along with the VAN. The online voting page will only work with one of the predefined VAN numbers that has not been used. The EO also has a special admin page that allows him to enter the mailed in ballots (optional), and to view all recorded votes. The EO has full and exclusive access to the online voting results, including the VAN associated with each vote, and the tabulated totals. In the event of someone voting online and mailing in the ballot, the EO will detect the twice-submitted vote and discard one or both of them. As part of the Elections Report, the EO supplies the list of VANs used in online voting. For those who choose online voting, the ballot may be saved to later compare the unique VAN printed on it with the list of accepted VANs, which is published along with the results. To view the report from the 2004 Elections, see www.triplenine.org/download/Election2004results.xls. For the results of the 2002 Elections, see www.triplenine.org/members/election2002results.htm.

--Jon Miles
TNS Information Officer
io@triplenine.org