to wonder why we can't have electronic voting?

[ElizabethG81]

I mean, how hard would it be in 2015 to have an electronic system at the polling booths? There'd be no need for counting, re-counting, rushes to declare "first" or all night election coverage. Just close the voting at 10pm, let the computers add up the votes and you're done. Well, you're ready for the bargaining to begin...

Hacking, rebooting, crashing, hanging, bad connections, no connection and fraud.

I think it would be a great idea. I bet the percentage of people voting would rocket if they did

If they use the same IT lot as DVLA or Income Tax, I'd be interested. These sites seem to be pretty secure and safe.

The logistics would be a nightmare. Lots of people trying to do the same thing concurrently, having secure internet access for the thousands of polling station locations countrywide (because not all villages have broadband by any means, let alone the village hall), providing IT equipment sufficient to equip all of those for use once every 4 years, making them accessible to everyone and so on

I think it might be too open to hacking.

Still, by the next election they might have found a way to tighten things up.

I do think it'll happen eventually, but people should also be given the choice.

Dh and I were wondering last night why it can't be done online. Then all the votes could be counted through the day and there wouldn't be a faff. If you can bank online safely I'm sure you should be able to vote online.

Because the government is utterly shit at large scale computer stuff...

It would be boring though. We always vote as a family - take the kids and explain to them what we're doing. I always went with my parentsvas a kid, and DH went with his too.

I enjoy the sense of occasion that going to a voting booth brings, and its not a lot of trouble. Polling stations are open from dawn to past dusk, and they are never very far away.

I wouldn't expect it to ever be the only way we can vote but surely technology should allow it as an option. like postal votes. If you want to vote online you register for it. With all the other things done securely online I can't see why it's not possible

It's actually one area I would be very hesitant to see technology involved in. And I speak as someone who built his first computer in 1980.

The main issue is an audit trail. At least the current system leads back to a ballot paper that can be presented for inspection if needs be.

If all you are going to trust is a number on a screen ???????

Or, to put it another way:

As things stand, any voter can be shown how their vote was counted, and understand that with complete certainty (if they can't, they shouldn't be voting .

How many people here would know the first thing about journalling log files, cryptographic signatures, secure sockets, transport layer security, or any of the myriad of technologies and techniques for securing digital data ?????

Not quite so many, now .....

Simple is best. And I would be very suspicious of any political party that agitated for electronic voting. I'm a technophile, and it would terrify me.

CMOT I think the OP meant so we could vote at home etc as opposed to going to a polling station rather than make polling stations electronic

Fraud.

And because not everyone has internet access.

And it's not that hard to get to a polling station

We overheard some people leaving the polling station earlier and they were surprised Dave, Ed, Nick etc didn't appear on their voting card. We ended up discussing this. In the future when they inevitably bring in an electronic option, you could at least make people sit through a short video before they voted. I do wonder how many people who voted today weren't quite sure how the system works. I don't blame them. It's a strange system. Plus, I've met a couple of people (in the butchers, in a carpet shop) who were going to vote but it's raining and they don't have transport so probably won't bother walking in the rain.

I love voting in person. I love the tradition and we go as a family. I do think there will need to be more options one day and I think it will help people's understanding and participation.

I'd still choose to go to a polling station, there's something quite satisfying about putting that x on the paper and posting it in the ballot box. my local polling station has been like a social event today, there's a real sense of community about it.

You'll need physical polling stations for a long time - theres an awful lot of people who don't have internet access, or wouldn't be confident in using it.

You'll need physical polling stations for a long time - theres an awful lot of people who don't have internet access, or wouldn't be confident in using it.

I don't share your confidence . A lot of government is now (badly) internet only.

Having read The Circle by Dave Eggers, I'd be worried if we went down the electronic route.

Wasn't there a big deal about this in one of the US elections? People selected one candidate and it told them it had cast a vote for someone else? There ended up being some sort of recount anyway

I would not like computers involved. This way is fine.

I actually meant for the voting at polling stations to be electronic, not necessarily for everyone to vote online from home.

Internet access in our little Village Hall????? You must be joking - we can't even get a mobile phone signal down there!!!!!!

Technology and elections.

Not a good mix

www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/07/hundreds_sent_away_from_polling_stations_due_to_govdigishambles/

Fraud.

If anything we should restrict postal voting to those who really need to and end proxy voting. In the end there's no privacy like the polling booth.

I would like to see an electronic system phased in at polling stations. That would be the first step. I have a feeling it is already used in some of the American elections, so why not here?

The current voting system is anachronistic. Quaint, but I doubt it has changed at all since Victorian times.

Electronic polling booths would be the first step, with ballot papers kept as a back-up for some time yet. Eventually it would be possible to vote from home or via an app on your phone. Surely all this is in the pipeline. Wouldn't it be cheaper and less cumbersome to administer?

YANBU to wonder but YABVU to expect it to happen...

Because it would cost hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds to develop. And then it would go over budget. And be delivered 10 years after it was supposed to be. By which time the technology in the solution would be obsolete.

Because Hackers are usually one step ahead of the government.

Because the system would crash when it was needed.

Because the current system is simple and works.

It would be entirely possible to develop a system of online voting, but given the fact that there is no issue with the existing system, I think most people would rather have government funds go into schools and hospitals rather than a national IT project which would only be needed once every 5 years.