[EM] ERS Commission on Electronic Voting (FWD)

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:              Fri, 14 Jan 2000 16:22:49 +0000
To:                     do-wire at tc.umn.edu, Steven Clift <clift at PUBLICUS.NET>
From:                   Electoral Reform Society <ers at reform.demon.co.uk>
Subject:                Commission on Electronic Voting - Research Request

The Electoral Reform Society in the UK has established a 5 person
commision to look at electronic voting, internet voting, telephone
voting and universial postal voting.

If you know of any information or reports availible on the subject
please contact me at the ERS. It would be particularly helpfull if there
is information which is available electronically.


I enclose a copy of the commission terms of reference.

The Commission will look into the following:

a) the mechanical counting, or sorting and counting, of ballot papers;
b) computer programs to assist returning officers with calculations and
in the production of results sheets;
c) equipment by which voters enter their votes on a console rather than
using a ballot paper, and computer disks, or the equivalent, take the
place of ballot boxes;
d) systems in which registers are on-line and which allow voters to vote
at any polling station;
e) telephone voting;
f) internet voting.

The Commission will consider each form of electronic voting, looking at:

g) the state of the art of the technology;
h) its existing use, in the UK or internationally;
i) the ease of voting and risks of votes being wrongly cast;
j) the safeguards required against voter impersonation;
k) transparency and the facility with which candidates and their agents
can ensure that there has been no malpractice;
l) whether there is any place/need for recounts with the different
systems;
m) the ease and speed of counting;
n) risks and consequences of mechanical failure, power cuts, etc.;
o) danger of tampering, e.g. by technical staff or hackers;
p) possible biases which might be introduced by differential access to
the voting system, e.g. by those with telephones or internet access;
q) any implications for turnouts;
r) advantages which might be offered for more complex forms of vote
counting (e.g. STV);
s) approximate costs of implementation (and savings over manual
counting).

Peter Facey

Secretary to the Commission

peter at reform.demon.co.uk

http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk
--
Electoral Reform Society

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