From a Canadian perspective, there are two major benefits to electronic voting technologies, both of which relate to accessibility, namely physical accessibility and linguistic accessibility.
Newer DRE systems can be built to allow voters with a variety of disabilities to vote secretly and independently. Some include an audio component for voters with visual impairments or literacy limitations, and “sip and puff” devices for voters with dexterity limitations.1 The benefits in this regard are undeniable, as some disabled electors are unable to cast their vote on a traditional paper ballot without the assistance of a friend or poll worker. “To the extent that casting a secret ballot is considered an integral component of the right to vote, the failure to allow secret voting by people with disabilities raises serious equality concerns.”2
A 2000 Elections Canada survey found:
The benefit for disabled voters of voting online rather than on a voting machine is that disabled voters who use computers regularly will likely have their own computer tailored to accommodate their unique needs while a standard machine at a polling station may not have all the specific features of one’s personal computer.
In addition to their being physically more accessible than a pencil and paper, DRE systems can be programmed in numerous languages so that voters may fully understand what is on the ballot, regardless of their language.4 This feature is increasingly attractive given the large immigrant population in Canada and the number of these new citizens whose grasp of either English or French may be limited to the minimum required to gain citizenship.
Other Motivations
There are a number of other motivating factors behind voting technologies that are important, but arguably less integral than accessibility is to an individual’s right to vote. Some of these motivations are also arguably less influential in Canada than they are in the US. In a 2001 issue of POSTnote [PDF], the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) cited three factors for considering changes to the way votes are cast in the UK (in spite of high public confidence in the integrity of the voting process): declining turnout, constitutional innovations and new technologies5.
In theory, electronic voting methods, particularly online voting, have the potential to increase voter participation, though this is not always a driving force behind introducing these technologies. Online voting, in particular, does allow for easier participation, especially for those voting by absentee ballot. One can easily vote from anywhere that has Internet access. The current absentee ballot system requires the voter to know that they will be outside of their jurisdiction well in advance of voting day. Online voting would allow those who must go out of town at the last minute to vote from wherever they might be at the time. There is also reason to believe that online voting might appeal to younger voters, a demographic in which turnout is particularly low.
New voting technology also offers the advantage of being able to assess whether the voter has cast their ballot correctly. The machines can be programmed to detect overvotes and undervotes and allow the voter to correct this so as to avoid unintentionally spoiled ballots. This ensures that everyone’s vote is cast and counted as intended by the voter.
One of the key motivators in the US for using innovative means of voting is the deficiencies in current paper-based voting systems, particularly punch-cards and optical scanners, which electors have experienced as of late. Very few people in the USA still vote with paper and pencil on a ballot that is manually counted by poll clerks, so the focus tends to be on the disadvantages of voting technologies that predate DRE systems. Some research does suggest that the new DRE systems are, in the US context, more effective in attaining and maintaining voter equality than the older systems:
While the machines produced by Diebold and other manufacturers cost millions of dollars7, online voting has the potential to reduce the cost of holding an election. The reduction in cost would not be immediate assuming online voting is initially offered as an alternative to current voting methods. The theory is that once implemented, electors would increasingly vote online and the number of traditional polling stations could be gradually scaled back.
In the US, ballots tend to be quite long with multiple races occurring and questions being asked of electors simultaneously. Proponents of electronic voting systems argue that such systems can make it easier for electors to navigate a long ballot. This argument cannot be made as easily in Canada where ballots tend to be short, particularly in federal and provincial elections where electors are electing one representative and occasionally answering a referendum question. Municipal elections include races for multiple positions; it is perhaps for this reason, in part, that electronic voting systems are beginning to roll out in municipalities.
Newer DRE systems can be built to allow voters with a variety of disabilities to vote secretly and independently. Some include an audio component for voters with visual impairments or literacy limitations, and “sip and puff” devices for voters with dexterity limitations.1 The benefits in this regard are undeniable, as some disabled electors are unable to cast their vote on a traditional paper ballot without the assistance of a friend or poll worker. “To the extent that casting a secret ballot is considered an integral component of the right to vote, the failure to allow secret voting by people with disabilities raises serious equality concerns.”2
A 2000 Elections Canada survey found:
Groups representing persons with disabilities were the most supportive of using the Internet for such activities as registering to vote, finding out where to vote and even voting itself. Fully 64% indicated they would be interested in voting on-line during future elections, if technology allows. By comparison, support for on-line voting among the general population was only 47%.3
The benefit for disabled voters of voting online rather than on a voting machine is that disabled voters who use computers regularly will likely have their own computer tailored to accommodate their unique needs while a standard machine at a polling station may not have all the specific features of one’s personal computer.
In addition to their being physically more accessible than a pencil and paper, DRE systems can be programmed in numerous languages so that voters may fully understand what is on the ballot, regardless of their language.4 This feature is increasingly attractive given the large immigrant population in Canada and the number of these new citizens whose grasp of either English or French may be limited to the minimum required to gain citizenship.
Other Motivations
There are a number of other motivating factors behind voting technologies that are important, but arguably less integral than accessibility is to an individual’s right to vote. Some of these motivations are also arguably less influential in Canada than they are in the US. In a 2001 issue of POSTnote [PDF], the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) cited three factors for considering changes to the way votes are cast in the UK (in spite of high public confidence in the integrity of the voting process): declining turnout, constitutional innovations and new technologies5.
In theory, electronic voting methods, particularly online voting, have the potential to increase voter participation, though this is not always a driving force behind introducing these technologies. Online voting, in particular, does allow for easier participation, especially for those voting by absentee ballot. One can easily vote from anywhere that has Internet access. The current absentee ballot system requires the voter to know that they will be outside of their jurisdiction well in advance of voting day. Online voting would allow those who must go out of town at the last minute to vote from wherever they might be at the time. There is also reason to believe that online voting might appeal to younger voters, a demographic in which turnout is particularly low.
New voting technology also offers the advantage of being able to assess whether the voter has cast their ballot correctly. The machines can be programmed to detect overvotes and undervotes and allow the voter to correct this so as to avoid unintentionally spoiled ballots. This ensures that everyone’s vote is cast and counted as intended by the voter.
One of the key motivators in the US for using innovative means of voting is the deficiencies in current paper-based voting systems, particularly punch-cards and optical scanners, which electors have experienced as of late. Very few people in the USA still vote with paper and pencil on a ballot that is manually counted by poll clerks, so the focus tends to be on the disadvantages of voting technologies that predate DRE systems. Some research does suggest that the new DRE systems are, in the US context, more effective in attaining and maintaining voter equality than the older systems:
While the public debate has largely focused on the security flaws in electronic voting, the empirical research reveals that second-generation DREs offer considerable advantages, when it comes to the equality norms defined above [racial equality, disability access, multi-language access, and inter-jurisdictional equality]. Prof. Kimball’s research reveals that they perform even better than precinct-count optical scans in this respect.”6
While the machines produced by Diebold and other manufacturers cost millions of dollars7, online voting has the potential to reduce the cost of holding an election. The reduction in cost would not be immediate assuming online voting is initially offered as an alternative to current voting methods. The theory is that once implemented, electors would increasingly vote online and the number of traditional polling stations could be gradually scaled back.
In the US, ballots tend to be quite long with multiple races occurring and questions being asked of electors simultaneously. Proponents of electronic voting systems argue that such systems can make it easier for electors to navigate a long ballot. This argument cannot be made as easily in Canada where ballots tend to be short, particularly in federal and provincial elections where electors are electing one representative and occasionally answering a referendum question. Municipal elections include races for multiple positions; it is perhaps for this reason, in part, that electronic voting systems are beginning to roll out in municipalities.
A Sample Elections Canada Ballot
Source: Elections Canada
1 Tokaji, supra. at p. 13.
2 Tokaji, supra. at p. 58.
3 Davidson, Diane R. and Miriam Lapp. “The Evolution of Federal Voting Rights For Canadians with Disabilities.” Electoral Insight. April 2004.
4 Tokaji, supra. at p. 35-6.
5 UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. "Online Voting." Postnote. May 2001.
6 Tokaji, supra. at p. 56.
7 VotingMachineProCon.org. "How much does it cost to purchase an electronic voting machine?"
No comments:
Post a Comment