Electronic Elections
Naeesa Aziz
2/13/04
Politick
Politick
This election season, organizers are finding more electronic ways to bring the vote to the people. With the help of the internet and automated voting machines, paper ballots may be on their way to extinction.
More than 50,000 touch-screen voting machines are being used in states from California to Virginia and most states who haven't installed the technology plan toget funding to join the others.
The surge in electronic voting comes as a result of the 2002 Help America Vote Act which was passed in the wake of the 2000 presidential election recount nightmare.
Last week, Michigan voters took to the internet to cast their votes for the Feb. 7 presidential caucus resulting in a voter turnout of over 46,000.
Helping the possible increase in voter turnout is the versatility of voting machines. Theoretically, the machines can be placed anywhere so no longer will voters have to travel to obscure places to vote. A number of Californian counties have already placed themachines in shopping malls in efforts to attract younger voters.
"I don't believe online voting is very efficient. I think they would get a better response if they used touch screens. This would eliminate the hassle of searching for the website and make it easier for voters," said freshman administration of justice major, Ashley Denson.
While these alternative forms of voting increase voter participation, problems of security and general technology malfunction cloud this electronic victory. Despite the reassurance of security experts, officials and voters alike worry that hackers or other problemscould put accuracy in jeopardy.
"Unless we can institute viable, stable, standardized, dependable safeguards against voter fraud online, I am against online voting and even if we do come up with safeguards, there's always going to be some hacker or bored computer student who finds a way to circumvent the system," said sophomore political science major Bola Omisore.