Why hasn't Canada implemented e-voting for federal elections?

Millions of Canadians are set to hit the polls on October 19 to elect a new federal government, deciding whether or not Stephen Harper and the incumbent Conservative Party will continue to lead Canada for the next few years. Both the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Liberal Party of Canada represent significant threats to Stephen Harper, but one issue that hasn't been discussed nearly enough is the lack of a modernized election system in a highly developed country that is otherwise very forward-thinking.

Indeed, while various levels of voting automation have been implemented in such countries as Brazil and India, all federal elections in Canada up until now have relied solely on manual voting. In an age that is far more digital than ever before, it is time for Canada to reconsider how it runs its elections.

Whereas the specific voting practices in the United States are determined at the state or even more local level, such is not the case in Canada. Instead, a set of standards are dictated by the Canada Elections Act. This allows for uniformity across the nation, but it also means that change can be very slow.

More test projects have been attempted in smaller elections in Canada, like in the city of Saskatoon, but not real progress has been made in having greater voting technology fully adopted at the federal level. As it stands, most voters must make a physical appearance at a designated voting place, fill out a paper ballot, and submit the paper ballot to one of the electoral staff. The ballots may be counted electronically, but they are still paper ballots.

The availability of physical polling places is important; but they should be updated and upgraded with better technology to speed up the process, allow no human errors, fewer spoiled ballots, greater security, greater efficiency and improved voter turnout. The advantages of electronic voting cannot be understated, including the flexibility to include more candidates in complex elections and better access for voters with disabilities.

Another option that should be considered alongside e-voting machines at polling places is the possibility of Internet-based voting. Canada can look to the positive examples set by countries like Estonia for this purpose, offering great security and authentication throughout the i-voting process. The youth vote could increase and modern voters would appreciate the greater convenience.

There are questions whether or not the current Conservative government in Canada is holding back the evolution and deployment of online voting. The primary demographic who support the Conservative Party in Canada tend to be more traditional in their sociopolitical views and they tend to skew toward older people. By contrast, supporters of the NDP and Liberal parties are more progressive in mindset and tend to skew toward the younger demographic, precisely the group that i-voting and e-voting would appeal to.

It would be impossible for the Canadian government to make any real changes to the election in October. However, particularly if a new party is elected, progressive change in Canada's electoral process should be highly encouraged in time for the next federal election. Canada needs to move into the 21^st century in this regard. 

Technology makes it easier for youth to register to vote

Registering to vote is the first step every citizen must take in order to exert his or her right to suffrage. Now that general elections are coming in the US, it is important that people register to choose their next president. It is worth noting that people under 30 constitute the largest group of unregistered voters in most states. In order to close this gap and engage the youth in politics, there are different initiatives to bring them closer to the polling stations. 

Generally speaking, in order for an American citizen to vote, he or she must fill an application and mail it to the Supervisor of Elections at the voter’s county, and wait for a voter information card. This whole procedure takes a couple of weeks—give or take, depending on whether the application was mailed or submitted personally—, and varies from state to state. It is indeed cumbersome, and it constitutes one of the reasons why many people opt out of their right to elect and leave decisions to fate or chance. Of course, this is a bad mistake, and not few organisms are trying to change this condition. There are many campaigns out there trying to appeal to potential voters, especially the younger ones, and invite them to register to vote. However, publicity alone doesn’t always do the trick. Students and young workers are not as patient as to fill out paper forms, put them in an envelope, pay postage, and wait, nor they have the time to go to an office and do paperwork there. Fortunately, in some states, technology is on people’s side, and it is increasingly appealing to the younger population.

This year, a new law makes it possible for residents of California to register online. The effect of this new legislation has been immediate: since September 19, more than 25,000 people have registered to vote through the state website. More impressive yet is the fact that the first day the online application became available, 10,000 people registered to vote. As expected, the younger voters have dominated the use of the new tool. 

Image: FreeStockPhotos

Washington State, on the other hand, has released a Facebook app through which voters can register online. When asked about privacy issues, the co-director of elections for Washington, Shane Hamlin, explained that Facebook does not have access to users’ social security number nor their driver’s license number, and that Facebook is merely the tool that connects voters to the State Elections page.

Much of the advocating for young voters to register has been done by Rock the Vote. Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose main objective is to engage young people and build their political power. Using the alluring power of music, popular culture, and new technologies, Rock the Vote seeks to give young voters tools to learn and take action about issues that affect their lives. The most important way they can do this is by voting. Right now, Rock the Vote offers a customizable voting registration tool that anyone can install on their website. This way, young bloggers become an active instrument in the exercise of democracy. 

There is no doubt that online tools are an effective way to get young people to come closer to their right to suffrage. However, the efforts must not stop at registering. The next step is getting people to actually vote.