European Countries Go Beyond Electronic Voting

None by KCPW

U.S. Could Learn from Overseas Experiments

(KCPW News) As America readies for it's first general election using touch screen voting machines, some European countries are already experimenting with voting online. U of U Elections researcher Thad Hall recently attended a conference in Estonia where he says people eagerly cast ballots on the internet:

"They've been using an interent for an array of government transactions from paying their taxes or parking tickets - you can even buy lottery tickets on the internet over there," says Hall. "It provides people with a higher level of confidence because they've used the system and see that it's robust."

Estonia's population is approximately half the size of Utah - which makes it a good candidate for testing new technology, says Hall. Every Estonian citizen has a government-issued ID card with a computer chip which, paired with a PIN number, can be used to access government services online. Voting, says Hall, is a natural extension. And for certain U.S. populations, he says it would also make sense.

"The biggest population that would benefit from internet voting are people in the military," says Hall. "Because it's very difficult to get mail to people on the front line, but they have internet access. Allowing them to vote online is a way to make sure they can securely and easily cast a ballot."

Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom have also experimented with internet voting.

Hear a live interview with Thad Hall on KCPW's Midday Metro Monday at 10 a.m.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom and Election Coverage. Copyright 2008 KCPW