Implementation of electronic voting and the matter of security

Magdalena Musiał-Karg

doi:10.17951/k.2015.22.1.119

Abstract

Electronic voting (as well as computer-aided voting) is an interesting subject for many countries around the world. The idea to implement e-voting into elections and referenda is widely discussed not only by members of parliaments and governments throughout the world but also by regular voters, IT specialists, engineers or people who work in organisations/associations supporting application of ICT in government. This idea is strengthened by the fact, that e-voting is successfully applied in Estonia and Switzerland for several years. However, in some European states (e.g. in the Netherlands, Norway and Austria) the attempts to implement that form of participation in elections fell out to be unsuccessful. This article aims at providing an answer to the question about the matters of security during implementation of electronic voting systems, which are more and more popular as an additional form of voting during elections or referenda. The theoretical context of the considerations is based on the concepts of electronic democracy (as a new paradigm of democratic power in contemporary states) and voting supported by ICT (understood as the essential tool for e-democracy). Apart from theoretical considerations on the e-voting itself, this text includes references to the most important motives that accompany e-voting implementation and then it delivers arguments on various aspects of security within the e-voting system.

Highlights

Electronic voting is an interesting subject for many countries around the world
This article aims at providing an answer to the question about the matters of security during implementation of electronic voting systems, which are more and more popular as an additional form of voting during elections or referenda
This article aims at providing an answer to the question about the matters of security during implementation of electronic voting systems, which are more and more popular as additional form of voting during elections or referenda

Summary

Leaving the Polling Station traditional way of voting electronic voting

Votes are cast electronically – often through devices with a touchscreen. Votes are counted on separate devices called DRE machines (Direct Recording Electronic machines), and transferred to the central register of cast votes. One may state that there are two recognized types of electronic voting: the first one – e-voting at the polling station, and the second one – remote e-voting (using computers at remote locations). The process of voting in the so-called e-voting at the polling place looks : after identification at the polling station voters are voting via pushing buttons on various electronic devices [Al-Ameen, Talab 2013: 398]. In the remote electronic voting voters give their votes via their own computers (from remote location) connected to the Internet (see Figure 2)

Leaving the Voting Application

CONCLUSIONS