In the UK 20% would vote Online
But who is to keep an eye on the button room?
13 May 2001
One-fifth of the UK electorate would be happy to vote online, reveals a survey conducted by research firm Forrester last March of almost 750 UK adults of voting age, assessing their views about interacting with government online and their voting intentions in the forthcoming general election. When asked about how they intended to vote, responses broadly followed recent offline polls but with some unique differences.
Half of the respondents indicated that they would be prepared to vote via the Internet in a general election or local election, implying that one-fifth of UK voters are ready to use the Internet for voting today more than have ever shopped online.
Respondents were keen for the government to make it possible to carry out online straightforward but tedious operations such as updating government records, getting information from government sites, and voting. Of the 25% of respondents who did not vote in the last general election, many cited inconvenient polling stations, being too busy, or working late as the reason they had not voted. Tasks that involve a degree of confidentiality, such as consulting your GP, or that are complex, such as making a tax return, are unpopular.
"Online voting has a number of potential benefits for the democratic process and the taxpayer -- it would save administration costs, increase accuracy rates, and encourage a higher overall turnout," Jackson added. "But until online access is near universal in the UK, no reductions can be made in the current voting infrastructure -- as this would further disadvantage that section of the general public not yet online. Also, with so many vested interests at stake in a general election, it is important that any electronic voting system is not only secure, but is also seen to be secure. This is not yet the case, as 56% of the UK online public thinks that personal information is not secure on the Internet. If, as the polls currently predict, a Labour government is returned to power when the general election takes place, they are unlikely to prioritize electronic electoral reform. Our poll shows that the UK online population is skewed toward the Liberal Democrats and that Conservatives would be happiest adopting eVoting. This is one issue Labour should not campaign on this time around."
Content-wire would welcome discussions about the implications on reliability and accountability of the technology.
Whose hand is on the button?
www.forrester.com.

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