The Institute of Information Technology Professionals (IITP) at New Zealand recently interviewed Ian Apperley, one of its experts, about the convenience of adopting online voting in that country.
According to Apperley, when examining the history of electronic voting and its security from its first use in 1964, there is no credible evidence of fraud in any country where this voting system is used.
Nowadays, e-voting includes secure verification methods along with well-established controls, carried out by trained and authorized personnel that can reduce risks significantly.
According to Apperley, if anti e-voting lobbyist’s theories (based on the alleged vulnerability of computer systems) were supported, all sensitive computer systems should be shut down, including those that manage our banking, transport, aircraft (now connected to the Cloud in real-time), hospitals, doctors, tax, company information, rates, and a hundred other sensitive services.
On the other hand, paper voting records which are sent by mail are exposed to theft and tampering. Yet people vote this way without a second thought because it is considered an acceptable risk.
New Zealand is a country at the forefront of new technologies. In the last four decades it has seen significant advancements in finance, health, and government.
“My motivation for e-voting is simple. I am a big fan of New Zealand technology and I want to see it succeed. I think we can succeed at this, and if we can’t, then at least we tried.” said Apperley.
Source: http://techblog.nz/993-ForonlinevotingWhyweshouldtrialEVoting