CSEE Colloquium

Queuing and Long Lines: How to run efficient elections

Dr. William A. Edelstein
Visiting Distinguished Professor of Radiology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

1:00pm Friday, 3 May 2013, ITE227, UMBC

Computerized touchscreen "Direct Recording Electronic" (DRE) voting systems have been used by over 1/3 of American voters in recent elections, including in Maryland. In many places, insufficient DRE numbers, in combination with lengthy ballots and high voter traffic, have caused long lines and disenfranchised voters who left without voting. We have applied computer queuing simulation to the voting process and conclude that far more DREs, at great expense, would be needed to keep waiting times low. Alternatively, paper ballot-optical scan systems can be easily and economically scaled to prevent long lines and meet unexpected contingencies. We have developed a heuristic "Queue Stop Rule" that can be applied to prevent long lines at voting stations. We have also carried out queuing simulations of other parts of the voting process, for example, voter check-in and ballot scanning. Our results can be used to help plan cost-effective election systems that will produce expeditious elections.

William Edelstein, physicist, received BS and PhD degrees in that subject from University of Illinois and Harvard, respectively. His career has principally focused on the development of MRI, starting in Scotland in 1977 and continuing from 1980 at the GE research lab in Schenectady, NY. He has been Visiting Distinguished Professor of Radiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine since 2007. His MRI work has been recognized with many honors, including the 2005 Industrial Applications of Physics Prize from the American Institute of Physics. His interest in election systems began several years ago in NY State during the debate to replace lever voting machines.