Online crime 'makes internet voting untenable'
28/04/2008 18:36:26
Concerns over online security mean that voting via the internet will not be a realistic option for some time, according to a political commentator.
Shane Greer, executive editor of Total Politics Magazine, said: "Internet voting is something we are unlikely to see for a very long time yet because there are serious concerns over the integrity of those kinds of systems."
Mr Greer added that including cutting-edge technology in the voting system would encourage more people to vote as it would make the process far easier and more convenient, particularly if they could one day vote using their mobile phones, without leaving the office.
He went on to say that computer voting at polling stations was foreseeable within the next few years, but maintained that actually voting online was not viable because of the security risks.
Last month a judge said that the rules for postal ballots were fatally flawed.
Richard Mawrey, QC, said that postal voting "was lethal to the democratic system" and made electoral fraud easy and profitable.
