Over 6,000 students have registered to vote in this study. The local Kids Voting Steering Committee decided last year that they wanted to do something different for this year's elections. It considered that how we vote now and how we vote 10 years from now may look very different. With that idea in mind, they decided to investigate an Internet. VoteHere.net, the secure Internet Voting company will implement the project for Kids Voting Ohio.
Internet voting uses a cryptographic system to secure the information and prevent voter fraud.
VoteHere.net has been conducting a series of tests this year to prove the viability of their system and to further validate that Internet voting is a viable way to cast a ballot. The company has worked with universities, high schools and counties in Washington, Virginia, California, Iowa, Florida, and now Ohio. The goal of the Kids Voting project is to be a model and pilot for what could be an adult situation in the future. The Kids Voting Ohio committee has involved the Secretary of State's Office in this pilot project. Ohio Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, is very interested in looking for ways to stimulate voter turnout in Ohio.