Improving Online Voting
Internet-enabled voting is an existing phenomenon that relies on technology. Electronic voting has shifted from a hypothetical phenomenon to a practical and established voting model. Proponents argue that online voting offers Europe and other continents a strategy for modernizing the elections. Online voting improves accessibility to the ballot box, especially for individuals who have difficulties accessing the physical voting locations. It also increases the electorate’s engagement in civic responsibilities. Countries such as Estonia, the United States of America, Canada, and Australia use online voting independently or combined with traditional modes of voting (Democratic Audit).
Benefits, Risks, and Improvements
Online voting presents significant opportunities or benefits for countries that use them. Besides increasing accessibility to the process of voting through online platforms, e-voting can also reduce the number of spoilt votes that occur. When electorates make wrong markings on the ballot papers or fail to make any markings, this results in a spoilt vote. The online voting process offers voters the chance to review their ballot papers before submitting them, leading to corrections in case of any mistakes. Candidates also receive more votes from their followers who may be in the diaspora and wish to vote, which increases their chances of winning an election (Democratic Audit) (Stewart and Taylor). Despite such benefits, it is crucial to steer the discussion towards the improvement of online voting.
Online voting presents security issues due to cybercrimes. This implies that the confidentiality of voters’ decisions on the ballot box and the privacy of their information are not guaranteed. It is possible for malicious hackers to manipulate the results to favor a specific candidate. In addition, the voter’s confidential information can also be obtained and used maliciously. The lack of such security may cause voters to avoid using the platform.
Further, the lack of confidence in online voting can cause candidates to encourage more followers to visit physical polling stations, resulting in a low turnover on the e-voting platforms. The other significant issue that online voting encounters is the failure of technology. The technology relies on other advancements and cannot operate or benefit users independently. For instance, power blackouts and low internet speeds can influence the process negatively. If the system or software being used for the entire process fails during elections, the electorates may be inconvenienced while candidates lack the much-needed votes (AAAS). This may be one of the reasons for including traditional polling stations alongside online voting. These issues highlight the necessity of improving the online voting process from the software to the hardware and the people.
The first improvement strategy is ensuring that the current systems/software are updated regularly. This avoids failure during the actual voting process. It is also necessary to create backups for all the voters’ information to prevent loss (Stewart and Taylor). In addition to backing up stored information, the respective agencies should ensure the data is encrypted and secured against unauthorized access and downloads. The security systems such as firewalls and virus protection software require constant updates and monitoring. To enforce these security enhancements, the agency needs to ensure that access is limited for increased accountability and easy monitoring. The process of monitoring the authorized persons should occur during, after, and before elections. This ensures that any activity on the platforms is allowed, secure, approved, and monitored. This ensures that even authorized individuals do not conduct malicious actions on the system. The agencies should also ensure the system can work offline when internet disruptions occur. Multiple sources of power should be explored to shield from power blackouts, which are infrequent yet still inevitable. Renewable energy can be stored for use during such unlikely disruptions. The approach increases the platform’s reliability significantly.
Most importantly, people should be trained and sensitized on the use of online voting platforms. The people refer to both candidates and electorates. Providing both groups with information regarding usage, benefits, and even risks is essential in increasing the voters’ turnout. Once voters understand the benefits of voting online, they are less likely to visit physical polling stations. They comprehend the importance of using the platform to express their opinion on leadership. The voter turnout is likely to increase significantly once all groups are aware of the process and platforms. For instance, the younger generations are likely to spend considerable time on the internet working and socializing. However, their turnout during elections is a concern for the nation (Stewart and Taylor). Educating the group on the importance of voting and the use of such convenient platforms may appeal to them and lead to an increase in the number of younger people during the elections. This ensures that more people exercise their right to vote.
Conclusion
Online voting does not offer a solution to all election challenges. However, it is important to continuously evaluate online voting alongside traditional polling stations before it is rolled out independently. This approach allows agencies to assess the risks and effectiveness of the platforms. Once they have worked on these risks and mitigated them significantly to acceptable levels, they can gradually increase the number of voters who can access online voting. The gradual rollout also allows for the responsible use of available resources. In addition, the suggested improvements are evaluated vigorously in the field.
Works Cited
AAAS. The Future of Voting Technology. 2021. <https://www.aaas.org/epi-center/future-voting-technology>.
Democratic Audit. How internet voting could help to make more votes count. 2021.
Stewart, Katherine, and Jirka Taylor. Online Voting: The Solution to Declining Political Engagement? 2018.
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Improving Online Voting
Description: Compose an informative essay that explores a new technological development in your field of study. For example, you might choose to explore drone delivery if you are in the IMCT pathway, virtual reality for STEM, or digitized textbooks if you are pursuing Education. (If you need more details about Broward College’s various career pathways, visit the “Programs and Degrees” webpage.) In addition to explaining the technology to your audience, you must also argue whether or not you believe this technology is ultimately beneficial to the field, elaborating why or why not by exploring potential applications, dangers, and/or limitations. For instance, while digitized textbooks may sound like a novel resource in education, what about students who do not have regular or reliable internet access? In order to help you explain your technology, you should conduct research on your topic and incorporate quotations and/or paraphrases from three outside sources within your essay.
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