OSET Foundation Using AWS to Advance Cloud-Based Election Innovations

We are pleased to announce that the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Foundation’s TrustTheVote™ Project is utilizing AWS to ensure that the democratic process is not threatened by archaic and obsolete systems. Often, these systems are no longer supported by manufacturers, and in the case of voting machinery, rely on proprietary software that’s difficult to inspect or audit.

OSET is a 501(c)(3) non-profit election technology research institute focused on creating open source software for elections administration in the US and around the world. The TrustTheVote™ Project is an open source software initiative that develops and provides an election technology framework with apps. States and counties can then adopt, adapt, and deploy the software to administer elections. Currently, OSET offers apps for states’ online voter registration services, with ballot design and election results reporting in development and testing. More apps are on the way for all aspects of election administration. The cloud-driven open source approach means that any election jurisdiction can adopt and adapt OSET’s apps and launch them faster and more cost effectively than ever before.

Election officials have to deal with aging hardware, shrinking budgets, and inefficient processes, while managing chaotic election logistics, polling place volunteers, and local web sites that often crash when everyone simultaneously wants election results. Cloud technology, combined with open data, open standards, and open source development, offers an ideal solution for elections administration with no hardware to buy or maintain, unlimited capacity for traffic, and a pay-as-you-go model.

The OSET Foundation is driving increased innovation in elections technology, like voter registration services, ballot creation, election results reporting, analytics, and voter information services with zero-footprint data center solutions that were not possible with traditional IT infrastructure. Since it’s on AWS GovCloud (US), the TrustTheVote Project technology can be used by any state or county looking to quickly improve elections administration without the high costs and long time frames of old computer systems.

OSET chose to make its software available on AWS GovCloud (US), because it offers the security and compliance for sensitive data, while having the scalability, agility, and cost savings of not buying hardware. And it can be quickly and easily delivered anywhere in the country.

Cloud-based voter registration, ballot design, and elections results reporting are ideal starting points to lowering costs and improving the public trust in our democracy.