Testing E-Voting Technology
Several states were taking a close look at e-voting even before election day 2000 -- but the aftermath of this year's presidential election could sway them toward implementing systems in time for the 2004 vote. You may be one of the few voters who took part in one of the various pilot e-voting programs around the country. The success or failure of these test programs will play a pivotal role in determining the future of e-voting.
Approximately 350 military personnel stationed overseas, or in states far from their home polling precincts, are the first Americans to vote via the Internet. This voting program was run by the U.S. Department of Defense's Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), and is expected to be a viable replacement for absentee or mail-in votes. These military personnel were given a certificate on a floppy disk, which was inserted in a computer. That information was paired with a similar certificate at their home county, allowing the personnel to log onto the system and vote.