Online voting: Why not?

voters wait in long lines at polls

Among the some of the problems that are talked about in the 2012 Presidential Election, I'm surprised that online voting is not brought up. Voters strive, waiting in long lines for hours. Then there is the ongoing problem with low voter turn out, the squawk about voter fraud, and the problems that hurricane Sandy gave to the Northeast. Online voting would easily relieve all of these problems.

The Web has come a long way. We trust it for virtually everything but not for voting. Why?

I asked my students in my Intro to Computers class, "Should we have online voting?" Blank stares turned into deep thought as each pupil processed the question. I was shocked that they had so much passion for this year's election. Then, like PCs loading a game, they finished thinking an answered. Some were for and some were against my imaginary Web ballot initiative. The class came up with two major concerns with online voting, one that I expected to hear (security) and one that I did not expect to hear (convenience).

1. Security of online voting
This was the refute question that I expected to hear, "Couldn't someone hack into the online voting system?" And that's a fair question, and to it I retort, "Couldn't someone hack into the voting system that's in place?"

I voted today using the same ballot card that's been around in MD for decades now. The card uses RFID chip technology. You know the drill. You record your vote to the impenetrable ballot card using the cash register from Old Navy then hand it back to the election clerk. It doesn't exactly feel solid, in fact, RFID chip technology is not very secure. It is easy to scan, hack, or delete information on these chips. And I don't want to forget mentioning that all of the personnel interactions in the voting process. I could easily see them compromised somehow. It's certainly not as strict as boarding a plane. You don't even need to show ID in some cases.

Consider how much we trust the Web: email, banking, taxes, credit reports, etc. What is so sacred about voting?

I am led to think that online voting would be more secure and more accurate. I base this on my experience with doing very important things on the Web for many years now. I certainly feel my laptop and internet connection is more convenient, reliable and secure, than my polling place.

2. Convenience of online voting
My viewpoint on the convenience of online voting is that it's a win-win, but some of my students had another perspective. "People who really care about their country and know who to vote for should be willing to go to the polls." on student insisted. I won't argue with that petition, but it poses the question: Is that the constitutional way? Suppose more young people become enticed to take part in their civic duty with the ability of online voting. Should we hold back their votes because we don't trust their decisions? The answer is no. You have the right to vote for whoever no matter what. You can write in a vote for Honey Boo-Boo or Big Bird if you want. There's no exam for the voter registration card. You need to be 18 or older and that's about it.

The bottom line
Ask yourself, "How would online voting affect voter turn-out?" You know the answer. There's no way online voting would decrease turn-out, in fact, I believe the number of voters would double. To that my follow-up question is, "Isn't that the goal of democracy?"

Let's put online voting on the next ballot initiative!