Internet democracy - eVoting comes to Estonia
08/10/2005
By Jakob Lemke, dpa
Estonia is on the verge of a world first: Estonian voters in municipal elections scheduled for October 16 will be able to select their preferred candidate with the click of a mouse.
The architect of the e-voting system, which was developed over several years, says it is ready for use, despite the reservations of Estonian President Arnold Ruutel.
The population of this tiny Baltic state are so technologically- aware that the country is often referred to as E-Stonia.
Many Estonians already fill out their tax returns over the Internet or pick lottery numbers on their mobile phones. In situations where sensitive data is exchanged, an identity card that can be read by a computer serves as a digital signature.
"Today over 800,000 people in Estonia have an ID card out of the one million who are eligible to vote," said Mikhel Pilving, head of the elections department of the Tallinn parliament.
The proposed e-voting process is relatively simple: you sit at a computer, slide your ID card through an electronic reader which calls up a special election website showing candidates in your constituency, and then select one with the click of a mouse. To confirm your choice, you must enter a PIN number - and that's it.
The biggest difference compared to a paper ballot is that the voter can think over his decision and change it a countless number of times before the polls close.
Alternatively, he or she can go into a polling station and fill out a traditional ballot slip - thereby cancelling the e-vote.
President Ruutel considered e-voting incompatible with the principle of equality because e-voters, unlike traditional voters, could change their minds - and refused to sign the law.
The final word on the matter was left to the constitutional review court which rejected his arguments.
On September 1, the court finally paved the way for the world's first use of Internet voting in an election. "Each voter still only has one vote," Marelle Lepik, the court's spokeswoman, pointed out.
The judges also pointed out the new technology was likely to bolster democracy by increasing participation in elections.
A recent poll supported their arguments, showing some 21% of Estonians would like to be able to vote over the Internet. The poll also showed the new system was likely to produce a greater election turnout.
To ensure the process is secure, computer hackers were brought in to test the system. Since then, important parts of the system are no longer interconnected, the servers have been put under police protection and the computer which process the e-votes is not connected to the Internet.
Nearly 30 countries have asked to send experts to observe the election, including Austria and Switzerland. (dpa)
http://www.financialmirror.com/more_news.php?id=2133
08/10/2005
By Jakob Lemke, dpa
Estonia is on the verge of a world first: Estonian voters in municipal elections scheduled for October 16 will be able to select their preferred candidate with the click of a mouse.
The architect of the e-voting system, which was developed over several years, says it is ready for use, despite the reservations of Estonian President Arnold Ruutel.
The population of this tiny Baltic state are so technologically- aware that the country is often referred to as E-Stonia.
Many Estonians already fill out their tax returns over the Internet or pick lottery numbers on their mobile phones. In situations where sensitive data is exchanged, an identity card that can be read by a computer serves as a digital signature.
"Today over 800,000 people in Estonia have an ID card out of the one million who are eligible to vote," said Mikhel Pilving, head of the elections department of the Tallinn parliament.
The proposed e-voting process is relatively simple: you sit at a computer, slide your ID card through an electronic reader which calls up a special election website showing candidates in your constituency, and then select one with the click of a mouse. To confirm your choice, you must enter a PIN number - and that's it.
The biggest difference compared to a paper ballot is that the voter can think over his decision and change it a countless number of times before the polls close.
Alternatively, he or she can go into a polling station and fill out a traditional ballot slip - thereby cancelling the e-vote.
President Ruutel considered e-voting incompatible with the principle of equality because e-voters, unlike traditional voters, could change their minds - and refused to sign the law.
The final word on the matter was left to the constitutional review court which rejected his arguments.
On September 1, the court finally paved the way for the world's first use of Internet voting in an election. "Each voter still only has one vote," Marelle Lepik, the court's spokeswoman, pointed out.
The judges also pointed out the new technology was likely to bolster democracy by increasing participation in elections.
A recent poll supported their arguments, showing some 21% of Estonians would like to be able to vote over the Internet. The poll also showed the new system was likely to produce a greater election turnout.
To ensure the process is secure, computer hackers were brought in to test the system. Since then, important parts of the system are no longer interconnected, the servers have been put under police protection and the computer which process the e-votes is not connected to the Internet.
Nearly 30 countries have asked to send experts to observe the election, including Austria and Switzerland. (dpa)
http://www.financialmirror.com/more_news.php?id=2133
