INTERNET VOTING: THE GREAT SECURITY SCARE

 

I believe that Internet voting in U.S. national elections is as inevitable now as the rise of the automobile was 100 years ago. 

 

The primary obstacle to implementing Internet voting in the U.S. is the unwarranted fear that it won't be private, free of fraud, and reliably precise in the final tally.

 

In 2003, these concerns were so effectively expressed that they resulted in the government ceasing all efforts to even experiment with voting from overseas via the new technology. However, when examined within a context of social scientific reasoning, the arguments that stopped the progress of Internet voting in the appear as mere appeals to fear, bereft of rationality. 

The truth is that Internet voting can be conducted with a degree of security similar to an online purchase, a million-dollar bank transfer, or a secret military communication.  The technology already exists, and has been honed over many years of use. While there are differences between the military uses of the Internet, e-commerce, and Internet voting, the degree of security for each need not vary significantly. 

 

William J. Kelleher, Ph.D.

 

For more on the matter, go to:

 

INTERNET VOTING:  THE GREAT SECURITY SCARE

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1420344

 

PS: A typical example of the discussions I am having with opponents of Internet voting can be seen on Eric Rescorla's blog, at:

http://www.educatedguesswork.org/2009/06/kellehers_internet_voting_secu.html#comment-113816,

and my comment to Kevin Poulsen at

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/06/cfp-evote/comment-page-1/#comment-81884