Internet Voting - A Good Idea?

[A18]

I think it's a good idea for primary elections, but a very bad idea for general elections.

[weallbleed]

terrible idea.

No paper trail, recounts pretty much impossible, very vulnerable to hackers, all sorts of dirty tricks that could be played, vote fraud made easier...

just a disaster waiting to happen.

[A18]

My idea for primary voting would be that if someone goes to the polls and casts a ballot, it overrides any other vote.

They'd also have your address, since you're part of the party. They could send you a notice saying they've received your internet vote.

I agree that it's a terrible idea for general elections, though

[12th Doctor]

Absolutly not.  If you cannot go to a poll to support your candidate, you shouldn't be voting.

[Gabu]

The only thing that would make internet voting a good idea is if a distinct, verifiable paper trail was created from the votes that could be used for a recount, which prompts the question as to why we shouldn't just go with the paper format to begin with.  Asking the manufacturers for the source code wouldn't work because they could just provide an innocent version and then change it.

[A18]

Off topic, but I'm for electronic voting in general elections with a verifiable paper receipt.

The computer would be much more accurate, and the paper record would just be to prevent any fraud.

[cwelsch]

This would be great if they could secure it.  Eventually they will.  After all, you can work your stocks on the net and you can mortgage your house online.

[Gabu]

This would be great if they could secure it.  Eventually they will.  After all, you can work your stocks on the net and you can mortgage your house online.

Yes, but it's in the manufacturer's best interest in those cases that everything goes as planned for the user and it's very obvious when something has gone wrong, neither of which is necessarily true in electronic voting.  It's not just the issue of a lack of security that's the problem with electronic voting; the manufacturers themselves might try to pull something.

[J-Mann]

They'll secure it eventually and it will be a new medium of voting.  I still don't like it, though.  The case for internet voting is bolstered by the idea of a national ID card...I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I agree with an earlier post: take a few minutes to get to the polls and vote!  I've never personally had to stand in a line to vote, but it would still be worth taking the time to do.  Internet voting seems like pandering to the lazy.

[A18]

Which is why we need a verifiable paper receipt. But electronic voting is still a good idea.

[KEmperor]

Bad idea, any internet based system is ultimately vunerable to attack.

[Vasall des Midas]

It's a terrible idea.
Unless the whole point is to rig it. In that case, it's a great idea.

[Sibboleth]

Unless the whole point is to rig it. In that case, it's a great idea.

I expect that Liverpool City Council will start using it soon then...

[Redefeatbush04]

Which is why we need a verifiable paper receipt. But electronic voting is still a good idea.

Should be easier to steal the election this time around eh Phillip?

[YRABNNRM]

Absolutly not.  If you cannot go to a poll to support your candidate, you shouldn't be voting.

You beat me to it.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Ugh.

As someone who works heavily as a volunteer in the computer security field, and with school kids who reflect the general population in their password practices, this scares the hell out of me.

Hacking, everything - there would just be too many problems that are already known about. Voting is screwed up as it is. People should vote absentee if they're truly that lazy.

[Hitchabrut]

I agree about the hacking. Also, people are forgetting how someone ineligible to vote can easily access multiple passwords and voter registration information from many people and end up voting through others several times for their candidate.

[DA]

The only thing that would make internet voting a good idea is if a distinct, verifiable paper trail was created from the votes that could be used for a recount, which prompts the question as to why we shouldn't just go with the paper format to begin with. Asking the manufacturers for the source code wouldn't work because they could just provide an innocent version and then change it.

Paper trails don't work either. I can easily write a programme that will send one set of data and print/display a different set. All they need to do is that and use a randomizer to change 1 in every x (x being a large random number) votes to canidate y. The only way they could verify would be to go ask ever single person (which means the ballots couldn't be anonymous).

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The only thing that would make internet voting a good idea is if a distinct, verifiable paper trail was created from the votes that could be used for a recount, which prompts the question as to why we shouldn't just go with the paper format to begin with. Asking the manufacturers for the source code wouldn't work because they could just provide an innocent version and then change it.

Paper trails don't work either. I can easily write a programme that will send one set of data and print/display a different set. All they need to do is that and use a randomizer to change 1 in every x (x being a large random number) votes to canidate y. The only way they could verify would be to go ask ever single person (which means the ballots couldn't be anonymous).

Not a problem in general.
1. Have the voter check the paper trail themselves
2. Always do a count of the paper trail

However, I don't see how a paper trail would work over the Internet.

[Ebowed]

Very bad idea.