You can’t vote online in federal elections, but should that change?
Posted August 3, 2015 2:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As the federal election campaign gets underway, we’re asking you if you’d like to have the option of voting online.
Pretty much everyone we put the question to was open to the possibility of going online to cast a ballot.
“It would be better for a younger demographic that’s more technologically oriented,” says Alyssa Ilich.
But there were some concerns over security. While discussing that possibility, Neville Dubash says he thinks those issues could be overcome.
“I’m sure there’s lots of security issues around it — ensuring people only vote once,” says Dubash. “I guess it’s doable though — people file their taxes online.”
Shane Gibson suggested hesitation to implement online voting is based more on fear than reality.
“It’s kind of like credit cards,” says Gibson. “People are worried about giving out their credit card on the Internet, but you’re more likely to get your credit card number stolen at a restaurant. So I think that’s more technophobia. All these people who are concerned about voting online do banking online every day. So I think as long as your voting system is as secure as [banking online], it shouldn’t be an issue.”
We asked UBC political scientist Richard Johnston about this; he pointed out the current method protects against manipulation in a way online voting likely never could.
