Electronic+voting

= = =Electronic Voting (Rozey&Mikey) - 31st August 2007=



What is Electronic voting?
Electronic voting technology can include punch cards, optical scan voting systems and specialized voting kiosks (including self-contained Direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting systems). It can also involve transmission of ballots and votes via telephones, private computer networks, or the Internet. Electronic voting technology can speed the counting of ballots and can provide improved accessibility for disabled voters. However, there has been controversy, especially in the United States, that electronic voting, especially DRE voting, can facilitate electoral fraud.
 * Electronic voting** (also known as **e-voting**) is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes. It is used by lawmakers to record their vote on a bill. Lawmakers press one of several buttons that indicate their vote. Votes are then totaled by a computer which displays each lawmakers vote and the total votes on electronic boards in the chamber.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Electronic voting?
Advantage - People will be able to vote electronically on websites with any computer with internet access. And also the fact that people wouldn't have to line up and travel to the local voting areas to vote.

Disadvantage- Hackers and unethical people could hack your account or steal your computer identity to vote for you, and the vote wouldn't be fair as it is against your will, or your permission. Another disadvantage is that if the computer breaks down, or internet connection has problems, users wouldn't be able to vote electronically.

What are the social and ethical issues caused by electronic voting?
Social issue- People could click on the wrong button and accidently choose the wrong choice. People who don't have computers or internet connections will not be able to vote electronically! Oh no!

Ethical issue- An ethical issue caused by electronic voting is that hackers might hack people and make choices for them, this makes electronic unreliable and unethical. For Example;

“Even in this election off-year, the potential perils of electronic voting systems are bedeviling state officials as a Jan. 1 deadline approaches for complying with standards for the machines' reliability. Across the country, officials are trying multiple methods to ensure that touch-screen voting machines can record and count votes without falling prey to software bugs, hackers, malicious insiders or other ills that beset computers. This isn't just theoretical -- problems in some states already have led to lost or miscounted votes. One of the biggest concerns surrounding computerized ballots -- their frequent inability to produce a written receipt of a vote -- has been addressed or is being tackled in most states.”

AP, Taipei Time, Friday, Dec 02, 2005 "Officials ponder perils of electronic voting", ([|http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/12/02/2003282640)]

Electronic voting in Taiwan!
Electronic voting in Taiwan has been quite successful in the past few years. Only 18 year old or above have the right to vote, so I will be able to vote last year. Woopteedooo!

In Taiwan, there is an increasing rate in the number of electonic votes because of several reasons. An important point that i would like to bring up is that, as internet and computers become more and more developed and used by the new generation, electronic voting rates within the younger age (18-30) has been encouraged as it is much more efficient and easier to vote. With a simple point, click and vote, no traveling to local voting booths, saving time and energy, this is what the new generation wants! Since it is much easier and simpler for them to vote, and it doesn't take much effort or time, the number of votes has increased within the younger age, this could be good because there are more votes which will make the countries choice more precise.

=Presentation Rating!=

== This is a graph that shows the total amount of points that Rose and Mike got from the presentation. We were graded on 18 categories by the whole class.