Monkeyfist.com

Online Elections Are Here

by Niel BORNSTEIN

Tuesday, 07 March 2000

.....

Holding elections on the internet is just a bad idea.

It doesn't cost enough
You sign on, you cast your vote, you're done. Pffft. That won't cut it, you need to think about your vote. If you're not willing to stand in line, I'm sorry, but your vote shouldn't count.
It is not equally available to all citizens.
No matter what anyone says, the internet is not an option for everyone. And setting up web kiosks down at the school? Might as well stick with the voting machines.
It's not secure enough.
- Is the user authorized to vote?
  This is relatively easy. Voting already involves a process that could well be replaced by a computer -- looking up the voter's name in a list, copying it to another list.
- Is the user who she says she is?
  How do you show your ID on the internet? What kind of guarantee can you give me that someone else can't guess my password?
- Is the voting transaction anonymous?
  In order to guarantee that your vote can't be spoofed, there's got to be a linkage between your identity and your vote. How do you do this and ensure anonymity? More importantly, how do you guarantee the appearance of anonymity amongst a skeptical electorate?
- Is the voting transaction reliable?
  We've recently seen what happens when some teenager with a cracking script decides to attack a web site. Who thinks no one will ever be tempted to monkey with an election?
It continues the erosion of the commons.
The polling place is one of the last meeting places for the American people. If you don't count the mall, it's the last one. We need to meet our neighbors and participate in our great democracy, even if only once every four years. A virtual electoral process can only lead to a virtual democracy, and let's not forget what virtual really means -- not real.

Kendall Clark also contributed to this piece.

This is Online Elections Are Here <http://monkeyfist.com/articles/320>