Nov 3, 2026 · 26 min
Open-source voting machines put transparency to a real-world test
Open-source voting machine aims to restore trust in U.S. elections
The episode shows how inspectable technology and public testing can strengthen election confidence without resolving the deeper political distrust surrounding voting.
- 1VotingWorks treats public code and design review as practical safeguards against opaque election technology.
- 2New Hampshire deployments exposed the challenge of introducing new machines while preserving familiar, reliable voter experiences.
- 3Trust grows through public testing and direct engagement, but technology alone cannot settle political disputes over elections.
Don't miss
Liesl Dufort describes inviting skeptical voters to observe public testing, turning transparency from an abstract principle into direct civic engagement.
The brief
VotingWorks executive director Ben Adida argues that election technology should be inspectable by design, making public scrutiny part of accountability rather than an afterthought.
The nonprofit’s first New Hampshire elections revealed the practical stakes: new equipment must work reliably while keeping the voter experience familiar and clear.
Newport town clerk Liesl Dufort explains why open-source code mattered, but also why a machine’s immediate feedback and day-to-day usability matter just as much.
Dufort’s account of exhausting hand counts and a discontinued machine shows how certification rules and long equipment lifecycles can limit election technology choices.
Adida and Dufort converge on a narrower promise for transparency: public testing and accessible systems can build evidence-based trust, even when politics remains unsettled.
The closing technology segment turns to AI neurons, a Binance crypto theft, and allegations that DraftKings used AI profiling on vulnerable bettors.
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