CS TechTalk - Technology of Elections – Today & Tomorrow
When: Monday, April 21, 2025
Time: 3:00 – 3:50 pm
Place: RB353
Presented By:
Dr. Jay Bagga, Professor of Computer Science and VSTOP Senior Director (Research)
Dr. Chad Kinsella, Associate Professor of Political Science and VSTOP Executive Director
Marc Chatot – VSTOP Manager
Duncan Klemm – VSTOP IT Specialist
Matt Housley – VSTOP Audit Specialist
Ananya Sharma – VSTOP Teacher Scholar/Computer Science
Description: The Voting System Technical Oversight Program team will present on the past, present, and future of the Technology of Elections. VSTOP will cover changes and updates to Federal and State laws and regulations, as well as Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. Security and design aspects of VSTOP’s web services will be discussed as well as ongoing development and upgrades to the Election Systems Inventory. Integrity checks and Audits of the elections process will also be covered as they are key components of conducting trusted and secure elections.
Bio: Dr. Bagga is a Professor of Computer Science at Ball State University. The Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) was established by an act of the Indiana General Assembly in 2005. Since 2007, when the Program started operating at Ball State, Dr. Bagga served as a VSTOP co-Director until 2024 and is now the VSTOP Senior Director (Research). He has extensive experience in Election Systems Testing and Certification, Election Administration, and computer and cyber security. He has collaborated in developing testing and certification protocols for voting systems and electronic poll books. Since 2017, Dr. Bagga has served on Indiana Governor’s Executive Council on Cybersecurity (IECC).
Bio: Dr. Kinsella joined the Political Science Department in the fall of 2016, coming from Lander University in South Carolina. In 2020, he served as the VSTOP fellow, assisting the Voting System Technical Oversight Program with conducting risk-limiting audits. Since 2022, he has served as one of the co-directors of VSTOP. Before his academic career, he worked for a US Congressman and as a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments.
Bio: Marc Chatot: Marc joined VSTOP in 2021 as the Election System Certification Specialist, working to certify Voting Systems and Electronic Poll Books for use in Indiana. In 2023, Marc took over as VSTOP Manager and guided the team in completing contacted activities for the Secretary of State of Indiana. Marc is a Ball State alumni from the Information Communication Science program.
Bio: Duncan Klemm started working at the Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) in 2021, and is currently the IT Specialist. Previously, Duncan worked as a Student Worker for VSTOP’s Election System Inventory (ESI) Program. He graduated from Ball State’s College of Sciences and Humanities with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and from the College of Communication, Information, and Media with a Bachelor’s in Telecommunications in 2022.
Bio: Matt Housley: Matt joined the VSTOP Team in November 2023. As the Election Systems Audit Specialist, he leads Indiana's election systems vendors through anomaly reporting and county election officials through random audits and post-election audits. In 2018, Matt earned a bachelor's degree in public relations and minor in political science from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in public administration from Ball State's College of Sciences and Humanities in 2024.
Bio: Ananya Sharma: Ananya is an international freshman who came to the U.S. in Fall 2024 to pursue a Computer Science major. Passionate about research and technology, she participated in the Teacher-Scholar Program in Fall 2024, conducting a comparative analysis of election technology systems in India and the USA.
Light refreshments will be served