Point and Click

Voting Photo courtesy Sequoia Pacific Voting Equipment. Some voters are already trying out touch-screen voting computers like this one. Americans live in a country that is heavily dependent on millions of computers. Obviously, you are aware of the impact of computers, since you are reading this over the Internet, but computers do more than just connect us to the World Wide Web. Almost everyone uses an ATM for a good portion of their bank transactions. Computers installed on gas pumps allow us to pay at the pump. We rely on computers to help us perform many everyday tasks, but there are still things we don't trust computers to do. And one of those tasks is voting. As the 2000 election plays out, many political pundits and techies argue that electronic voting, or e-voting, will prevent a lot of the problems that have put the presidential election on hold. The advantages of e-voting include: • Streamlining the voting process. • Preventing ballot errors and confusion. • Increasing national voter turnout.

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.

Bridging the Digital

Divide Electronic voting is the first new election technology to be introduced in years. Of course, this change doesn't come without criticism. Traditionally, people are resistant to change, even if it offers an opportunity to simplifying their lives. And to be fair, e-voting does have its drawbacks. Here are just a few: Computers will disenfranchise the computer illiterate, including the elderly, the poor and minorities. It will be very difficult to verify voters' identities. Computers are susceptible to attacks by computer viruses and hackers. The digital divide is a rather new term, referring to the gap between the technology haves and have-nots. Those with computer knowledge are typically younger and more affluent than those who lack computer skills. The electronic voting system used in Riverside County has already drawn protests from minority groups who say that this computerized system intimidates voters who have limited access to computers. Studies show that whites and Asians are more computer savvy than blacks and Latinos, that younger voters have more computer knowledge than older voters and that those with money have more access to the Internet than those without money. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 poses the biggest legal barrier to e-voting. This act called for an end to discrimination against minorities in the election process, and prohibits some states from making changes to voting procedures without federal approval. The courts could declare computer-based or Internet voting a violation of this act.

Point and Click

Voting Photo courtesy Sequoia Pacific Voting Equipment. Some voters are already trying out touch-screen voting computers like this one. Americans live in a country that is heavily dependent on millions of computers. Obviously, you are aware of the impact of computers, since you are reading this over the Internet, but computers do more than just connect us to the World Wide Web. Almost everyone uses an ATM for a good portion of their bank transactions. Computers installed on gas pumps allow us to pay at the pump. We rely on computers to help us perform many everyday tasks, but there are still things we don't trust computers to do. And one of those tasks is voting. As the 2000 election plays out, many political pundits and techies argue that electronic voting, or e-voting, will prevent a lot of the problems that have put the presidential election on hold. The advantages of e-voting include: • Streamlining the voting process. • Preventing ballot errors and confusion. • Increasing national voter turnout. Most voters already use some sort of computerized voting system. Punch cards, like the ones used in the disputed Palm Beach County, Fla., precincts, are tallied by a computerized counting machine that detects the punched holes in a ballot.