In 1999, Bill Jones, the California secretary of State, got the three groups of people interested in Internet voting to meet and talk. The report suggests that Internet voting be phased in. First, Internet voting machines could be set up in traditional polling places under the control of election personnel. The second phase would be publicly accessible Internet voting kiosks, located in libraries, etc. The third phase would be allowing people to vote using any machine with Internet access.
Pilot projects are already under way.
Both California and Arizona conducted nonbinding online voting tests in several counties during the Nov. 7 elections. Both states are now in the process of getting feedback from people who participated. This is particularly true of people who live in poor or rural communities. Many states will not allow state or local officials to change voting procedures if all citizens cannot be guaranteed equal access to the new methods. But that doesn't deter the two men from seeing the potential benefits.