Push for online voting in Canada
Posted Oct 16, 2015 08:56:08 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Other countries are doing it. Some are wondering, why not Canada too?
Despite some form of online voting being available in countries like Estonia, Switzerland, and recently, Australia, Canadians lag behind.
For a generation of voters that are digital natives, it’s prompted frustration.
“We’re in 2015 now,” says Nicole Goodman, the research director at the Centre for e-Democracy.
“Are elections going to be one of the last government institutions that become digital? I don’t know. I mean, I know government institutions in general have been slow to reform, and that’s part of it as well, but it’s something that they should be thinking about.”
LISTEN: Nicole Goodman on Online Voting
Estonians are able to vote online in federal elections. Switzerland has used online voting at the cantonal level. New South Wales in Australia just started offering the service in its latest election.
“We do look at other approaches in other parts of the world, but at this stage, we’re not there,” says David Rutherford of Elections Canada.
Goodman says there are a number of hurdles to overcome before it could happen in a Canadian federal election.
“Definitely, security is a concern,” says Goodman. “Authentication is very important and something that needs to be worked through — particularly for a country as large as Canada.”
She adds the most likely scenario is for online voting to be made available for people who live abroad or have disabilities.
“And that’s not just physical disabilities, mental abilities [too],” Goodman says.
“So, for example, if you’re somebody who has strong anxiety, and you have a problem going out to the polling station — you find it to be very stressful — you could vote from the comfort of your home. So for people like that, I think there should be additional measures, and I can see technology helping there.”
