Considering events surrounding the 2016 election, online voting has a tenuous path to becoming reality. Jared discusses obstacles (other than cybersecurity) will the government need to overcome and the hidden implications of continuing with our current processes. 

I think that the use of electronic information and platforms will not just be a possible next step in our electoral system, I think that it will be a necessity.  I say this because there has already been an increased use of these platforms across the country.  A person can now register online to vote in a matter of minutes. One of the consequences to this, however, is that this makes jobs harder for folks who (like myself in a previous life in North Philly) register people to vote in person out in their communities. The job is not easy by any means – asking random strangers to give you their personal information to vote in a system of which most don’t truly believe is fair and just can be very awkward in the summer heat – but it provides steady income for people who want to connect with their communities or just get some extra spending money. It might make sense, then to avoid the consequence while still achieving the main goal, to train these field workers in updated technology and electronic platforms and have them register voters in person but do it on a portable iPad.

Vote-by-mail and absentee ballot options are also available online now as well.  I honestly think, with the correct oversight and security in place, that this actually would create an overall increase in voter participation. Part of the reason that voter participation is so low is because of the strain and burden of registration regulations: “But most U.S. states require people to register to vote at a different time and place than they cast ballots; and in all but ten states, new voters, including those removed from the rolls for not voting in a few recent elections, must take special steps to register themselves at least 15 to 30 days prior to an election. In such states, citizens may wake on Election Day and want to vote, but they will not be able to do so if they failed to register – or check their registration status – well in advance of that day” (Carey et al. 2014). Creating easier processes for registration could resolve much of (what some falsely label apathetic) the cause of low voter turnout. If I had a nickel for the number of times I asked someone I knew if they were voting on an Election Day and they said “I can’t, I’m not registered…”

As far as being able to actually vote online, I don’t personally find this a feasible option. Currently, many voting booths are run electronically and can potentially become compromised with relative ease (let alone the fact that many aren’t updated for years and even decades); there was some rumor dropping after the primary election here in Camden last year for the Mayoral race about the efficacy of the voting machines used around the city. Even with the efficiency or optimization in voter turnout that could result from online voting, the public sentiment – especially after the 2016 election – around cyber security in general is one of extreme suspicious and cynicism; pairing that with similar public sentiment towards our current political voting system, there is no real sustainable option currently in sight where democracy and information management (systems) marry well. 

 

 

Reference: Carey, H., Franklin, D., Hankla, C., & McCoy, J. (2014, March). How Registration Reforms Can Boost Voter Participation in Georgia. Retrieved from http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/how-registration-reforms-can-boost-voter-participation-georgia