In Florida, an Internet voting system standard has been adopted by the state legislature, and officials are approaching voting software developers to get them certified to run elections. In California, an Internet voting task force commissioned by Secretary of State Bill Jones has recommended that the state begin integrating online voting into the election process. Proponents say Internet voting will increase voter participation by making the election process more convenient and accessible. Casting a ballot on any networked computer instead of having to travel to a polling place would be especially useful for the elderly, disabled, and those too busy to leave their offices. Yet the greatest potential for increased voter turnout lies with younger voters.
Online voting is technologically tricky.
One major challenge is authenticating voters while securing their anonymity. Identifiers would be sent to voters that would identify the voter but not attach the identification to a particular ballot. Secrecy assured, the ballot then would be sent to another server to be decrypted and tallied. Still, these glitches are expected to be overcome by legislation like the Electronic Digital Signature Act, which went into effect October 1, and sophisticated encryption. However, there is a concern that online voting could widen the digital divide.