‘Election Integrity 2018: What Could Go Wrong?’ is topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Sept. 25

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327

Jeff Falk
jfalk@rice.edu
713-348-6775

‘Election Integrity 2018: What Could Go Wrong?’ is topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Sept. 25

HOUSTON – (Sept. 20, 2018) – Local and national experts will gather at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Sept. 25 to address challenges to the changing election environment in the United States and abroad and offer policy responses.

“Election Integrity 2018: What Could Go Wrong?” is co-hosted by the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program and the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology. It is free and open to the public; visit www.bakerinstitute.org/events/1954 to register.

This event is part of the Baker Institute’s 25th anniversary commemorative programs featuring its centers and research.

Who: Panelists Dana DeBeauvoir, Travis County clerk; Joseph Lorenzo Hall,
chief technologist and director of the Internet Architecture Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology; and Dan Wallach, a Baker Institute Rice Faculty Scholar and professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering at Rice.

Moshe Vardi, the Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering at Rice and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute, will serve as moderator.

What: A panel discussion titled “Election Integrity 2018: What Could Go Wrong?”

When: Tuesday, Sept. 25, 6:30-8 p.m. A reception will be held at 6.

Where: Rice University, James A. Baker III Hall, Kelly International Conference Facility, 6100 Main St.

In 2016, the world learned about cyberattacks and other election interference launched by foreign governments. Since then, the U.S. government has declared voting systems to be “critical infrastructure” and has allocated $380 million to help prepare for future elections. However, many voters in the U.S. will continue casting ballots using obsolete voting technologies with known vulnerabilities, according to event organizers. Voters must also contend with propaganda campaigns and other fraudulent attempts to sway public opinion, organizers said.

A live webcast will be available at the event page, www.bakerinstitute.org/events/1954.

Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

For a map of Rice University’s campus with parking information, go to www.rice.edu/maps. Media should park in the Central Campus Garage (underground).

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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top three university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.