Puerto Rico has set 2016 as the date to implement e-tallying. To achieve such goal, the State Election Commission has begun by outlining the road map that will guide the adoption of this new voting system.
The idea is to automate their elections gradually. The process will involve stages such as: the procurement of funds, an awareness campaign to educate citizens, the integration with the Results Dissemination System, the purchase of technology, among others.
According to the newspaper El Economista América, Angel Gonzalez Roman, President of Puerto Rico’s Election Commission, expects “that the implementation of the system maycost US$ 27 million, out of which 14 are already available. The other half will come from State funds, unless other ways to fund the initiative are found.”
Around the world, e-tallying technology has been part of elections in the Philippines, the US, Mongolia and Canada. It implies using optical scanners that capture the vote marked in paper ballots.