Open Source Voting for San Francisco
Supporting the development of a transparent, secure, and fully auditable open source paper ballot voting system for every San Francisco voter.
Our Mission: Transparent Elections Through Open Source Technology
The SF Open Voting project advocates for San Francisco to lead the nation in building an open source paper ballot voting system. Every piece of software used to conduct elections should be publicly available for inspection, audit, and improvement by security researchers, civic technologists, and concerned citizens alike.
For decades, proprietary voting systems have operated behind closed doors. Vendors control the source code, limit independent security audits, and charge municipalities millions of dollars for systems that voters must simply trust without verification. San Francisco has the opportunity to change this by developing election technology that is owned by the public, for the public.
An open source approach to voting technology means that the code running our elections can be examined by anyone. Security vulnerabilities can be identified and fixed by a broad community of experts rather than a single vendor. Paper ballots provide a physical record that can be recounted and verified independently of any software. Together, these principles create an election system that earns public confidence through transparency rather than demanding it through obscurity.
Why Open Source Voting Matters
Full Transparency
When voting software is open source, every line of code is available for public review. Citizens, researchers, and election officials can verify exactly how votes are processed, tallied, and reported. There are no black boxes and no hidden algorithms.
Stronger Security
Open source software benefits from the scrutiny of thousands of independent security researchers worldwide. Vulnerabilities are found and patched faster when the code is public. Proprietary systems rely on security through obscurity, which experts widely regard as a weak defense.
Paper Ballot Auditability
Paper ballots create a voter-verified physical record that exists independently of any electronic system. In the event of a disputed election or software malfunction, officials can conduct a hand recount using the paper trail to confirm results.
Cost Savings for Taxpayers
Municipalities spend enormous sums licensing proprietary voting systems. An open source system can be shared freely across jurisdictions, reducing costs dramatically. San Francisco's investment would benefit not just local voters but communities nationwide.
Community-Driven Development
Open source projects harness the talent of diverse contributors. Election officials, software engineers, accessibility experts, and security researchers can all contribute improvements. This collaborative model produces better software than any single vendor can build alone.
Vendor Independence
When a city owns its voting software, it is no longer beholden to a single vendor's pricing, timeline, or priorities. Open source technology gives jurisdictions full control over their election infrastructure and the freedom to adapt it to local needs.
How an Open Source Voting System Works
An open source paper ballot voting system combines publicly auditable software with a physical paper record of every vote cast. Voters mark their selections on a paper ballot, which is then scanned by open source tabulation software. The paper ballot is retained as the official record of the voter's intent, while the software count provides rapid results that can be verified against the paper at any time.
The entire technology stack, from the ballot design software to the tabulation code to the results reporting system, is published under an open source license. This means anyone can download the code, review it for accuracy and security, and propose improvements. Election officials maintain full authority over the certified version used in actual elections, while the public benefits from knowing exactly what software is counting their votes.
San Francisco's ranked-choice voting system makes this project particularly valuable. The algorithms used to tabulate ranked-choice ballots are more complex than simple plurality counting, making transparency even more important. Voters deserve to understand and verify the process by which their ranked preferences are evaluated.
Support Open Source Voting
Join the growing coalition of citizens, technologists, and civic organizations working to bring transparent election technology to San Francisco and beyond.