It doesn't matter how well an election appears to be run or how smoothly the voting process goes for each constituent if the voting public cannot have a great deal of confidence that the integrity of the election and its results are suitably upheld. This includes the security and confidentiality of each individual ballot, to be sure, and it also includes the importance of eliminating voter fraud and ensuring that each person voting is adequately authenticated and verified.
There are many people who have spoken about
the perceived voter fraud throughout the United States and various measures
have been taken by the individual states to overcome this concern. However,
some of these efforts have been perceived as unilaterally impacting
disenfranchised citizens or individuals of a particular demographic that may be
more inclined to vote for one political party than another.
The voter registration and proof of
citizenship requirements
in Arizona are one such example of this and it has become an incredibly
contentious issue for everyone involved. Such laws, according to many
Democrats, make voting more difficult for demographics that are more likely to
support Democrats, including the Hispanic and Latino community.
To counteract this, a Republican Senator
William Payne is proposing that biometric voter identification technology be
implemented in the state of New Mexico. In his proposal, Payne says that he
hopes to “put to rest the criticism that voters cannot afford to produce
reliable photo identification when they vote.”
While the proposal is certainly still in
its early stages and is decidedly up for debate, Payne offered the example of
using everyday devices like a regular consumer smartphone as a method of
identifying a voter using biometric data. “This is already commercially
available,” he stated, “and it has nothing to do with the technical literacy of
the person.”
That statement may be questionable and
securing the legitimacy and security of a smartphone may be an incredible
challenge, but the concept of utilizing existing technology for the purposes of
voter authentication need to be explored. Smartphones like the Galaxy S5 from
Samsung and the iPhone 6 from Apple have fingerprint readers on them. Using an
off-the-shelf solution like these biometric fingerprint readers is far more cost-effective
and far more of a proven system than if governments were to develop a brand new
solution from the ground up.
The appeal of a biometric system for voter
identification and verification is undeniable. Biometric technology has already
been used in other elections around the world as an effective means of protecting
against election fraud. If developing countries like Tanzania, Ghana and
Kenya can explore and implement biometrics, the state of New Mexico should not
ignore this possibility. It has been very successful in elections in Venezuela,
for instance.
While some of the existing systems and
infrastructure can make it difficult for the poor and disenfranchised to
register to vote, biometric systems can be far more effective. Indeed, the US
electoral system should
adopt biometrics for this very reason. Mexico was able to register 95% of
its population with biometric identity cards. There's no reason why New Mexico
can't do the same.
