Right idea Bridget…
Imagine that instead of referring to postal voting our Elections Minister, Bridget Prentice was referring to electronic voting:
“Democracy is not only about having the choice to vote but also about having confidence in the integrity of the system […] These [postal voting] measures will improve security and introduce deterrents against fraud so that people have confidence that their vote will be cast and counted fairly.” (BBC News Online)
I would agree that confidence in the integrity of our elections is much more important than choice. So why the rush for e-voting?
US e-voting certifiers Ciber Labs barred
The film Hacking Democracy raised some serious doubts about the quality and independence of Ciber's testing of e-voting systems. The New York Times reports that the Federal Election Assistance Commission has temporarily barred Ciber from approving new machines since summer 2006. Disturbingly this news has only just emerged with details that Ciber's quality control and documentation was lacking.
Council of Europe meeting to review e-voting developments
I've not had a chance to read all the presentations but a fine bunch of European civil servants presented their countries' status regarding e-voting. The presentations are all online so should make interesting reading, the UK slides just confirm their dedication to the cause of pushing e-voting.
Jason Kitcat 