Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is a MPP Candidate at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy. His areas of interest are in technology policy, in particular cyber security challenges to democratic institutions. He holds a BA in International Studies from the University of Iowa.

Risk-Limiting Audits: A Statistical Method to Ensure Election Quality

Electronic voting systems are subject to glitches and cyberattacks. Paper-based voting systems require an onerous hand-count to check results. Fortunately, an alternative is emerging. Risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to determine the smallest number of ballots needed to review in order to audit elections efficiently and reliably. On February 3, the 2020 Presidential Election officially […]

As cyber threats loom over U.S. elections, these three steps can help secure them

The information age has brought with it a host of cybersecurity challenges, perhaps the most important of which is threatening the American electoral infrastructure. This article lays out three important, foundational steps the U.S. needs to take to secure the next election. In an era of hyper-partisan politics, it is easy to get lost in […]