Online Voting: Easier to Participate in an Election or Easier to Steal One

-- By JulianBaez - 21 Feb 2010

Voting is Inconvenient So Some People Don’t Vote

Many factors cause low turnout elections, especially in the US. Among them is the difficulty people have in making time to vote on Election Day. Many voters find voting anywhere from inconvenient to impossible because of: 1-the length and inflexibility of their workday; 2-the length of their commute to work and to the polls; 3-reliance on public transportation to reach the polls; 4-responsibility to take care of children and elderly family members.

Effect on the Lower Class

These factors all disproportionately affect the lower class, (except for the length of commute to work, since many middle- and upper-class voters live in the suburbs but work in distant urban centers). Impoverished voters are more likely to work jobs with inflexible hours, rely on public transportation to travel to/from work and to/from the polls, and have sole responsibility for enfeebled or young family members without the aid of nurses, baby sitters, and nannies. The lower class is less likely to vote.

The Current Ability and Existence of Online Voting

Although no system can ensure 100% voter turnout, a system allowing voters to file absent ballots online could drastically increase voter turnout. This system could mirror absentee balloting or traditional voting on Election Day. This system already exists to a small extent. Now, US military personnel abroad have the ability to vote online in some states. Eight states allow online voting under certain circumstances as of 2006, and the system looks to expand. However, online voting has not been adopted by most states on even a limited basis. If online voting did become more widely adopted, voter turnout could increase for impoverished Americans by substantial numbers.

Who Really Benefits and By How Much?

But this assumed increase in voting is easily questionable. For one, online voting allows access to a stable internet connection. Whether that access be from one’s cell phone, local library, home or workplace, wealthier voters are more likely to have the dependable internet connections necessary to vote. Fortunately, the ability to vote is not a zero-sum game (Note: I do not deny that elections are zero-sum games for voters and candidates). Making it much easier for wealthy people to vote with online balloting still makes it somewhat easier for everyone else to vote. As a constitutional democracy, we now advocate for universal suffrage around the world (_See_ Iraq and Afghanistan; _but see_ Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates). We can become greater advocates for universal suffrage at home by making it easier for everyone to vote here with online balloting.

The Real Risk: Voting Fraud and Internet Security

Online balloting not a silver bullet leading to 100% voter turnout (setting aside whether that’s desirable); it is also not without risk. "No bank would ask their customers to send Social Security numbers over unencrypted e-mail," said David Wagner, the co-author of the military’s self assessment of their online voting program. If we want a system of online voting to increase voter turnout, we must also ensure people’s personal information remains private. Also, the system must ensure online voters’ ballots remain intact and election results are correct. It was not that long ago where election fraud placed a presidential election in doubt or provided dramatic proof of foul play (penultimate paragraph). With questions raised about e-mail security already in question, it may be best to keep our elections safer and offline. How safe would you feel if your Google Ad asked you to donate money to a Bloomberg 3rd-party candidacy after voting for Nader 4 years earlier? In the past, the FBI and other government entities have kept track and used Americans’ political leanings to promote their own agenda; digitizing this information in an already questionable system is anywhere from risky to downright self-destructive. These instincts to investigate the political beliefs of Americans remain today. Furthermore, these aren’t the only concerns with online balloting.

Conclusion

Our Constitution guarantees us the right to take part in a representative democracy. It affords the people the opportunity to elect officials, if they choose. Many Americans choose not to for a variety or reasons, including the inconvenience of voting in our modern and crowded society. Online voting would make voting far less inconvenient. But at what costs? Risking our democracy and out freedom is as American as apple pie. But we need to know what tradeoffs we’re making before it’s too late.

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