What guarantees should a next-generation automated voting system provide?

For all democratic societies, voting is the perfect vehicle for the expression of individual will and respect for freedom. From raising a hand showing approval or rejection, to writing on a piece of paper or marking preferences on a touch screen, the goal is always the same: to give human beings the opportunity to choose with free will.

It is of utmost importance to encourage massive participation in electoral processes for modern and pluralistic societies to evolve. One way to achieve participation is through the improvement and automation of electoral systems. Systems that provide guarantees to the civil society as well as security and reliability and at the same time represent a sign of positive development and investment for the states and their authorities.

The History of E-Voting in Brazil

Picture: alexdecarvalho

Some people have said that Brazil is ahead of its time when it comes to the country's electoral process. Indeed, the South American nation is widely regarded as a leader when it comes to electronic voting, but it's not like Brazil suddenly fell into this role overnight. The evolution of e-voting in Brazil has taken place over the last couple of decades with each progressive step moving into greater levels of both security and automation.

A History of Voting Machines and Automation

Just as society moved from walking on foot to riding horses to driving cars, the history of automation and voting machines has much the same sense of evolution. However, what's interesting is that one technology didn't really replace the one that preceded it; many different types of voting machines co-existed for a number of years and even today, many standards exists for what is accepted as a reliable and efficient voting system.

The Opinions of World Leaders on E-Voting

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
applauds the electronic voting system used in the nation. 

Electronic voting systems can take on many forms. Some may be completely digital in nature, whereas others may have more paper documentation in place for the purposes of record-keeping and audit trails. Whatever the case, the endorsement of powerful world leaders is positively necessary if e-voting is to be more widely adopted and used around the globe. The question is how current politicians and heads of state currently feel about the types of technology available.