Use of information technology for accessible elections
Answers
Answer:
The use of different forms of technology in the electoral process is on the rise (OSCE/ODIHR 2013). Many countries use information and communication technologies (ICT) to try to improve their election process. When thinking about e-enabled elections, however, there is a tendency to think about e-voting and I-voting only. However, there are many phases during the electoral cycle where some form of ICT can be used. Many countries around the world, including some new democracies, use forms of electronic voter registration and identification, such as through the use of biometrics (Yinyeh and Gbolagade 2013). The tabulation and publishing of the results can also be done with ICT. There is also the possibility to use ICT to support the process of redistricting. Although there has been research on the use of ICT in elections, so far there has not been comparative research on the use of technology in the election process that also examines the relationship between the EMB and the technology. More research is needed to understand how ownership of ICT and technological knowledge can undermine the independence of EMBs. This article will address this concern.
Answer:
There have been major concerns about the role of technology in elections, as highlighted by debates in different countries such as the U.S., the Netherlands, and Norway. One area of concern is that a lot of the equipment is not owned by the public sector—but there has been barely any research on election technology ownership in a comparative perspective. This article reports new data from an international survey of electoral management bodies (EMBs) (N = 78) with data from 72 countries. There are large differences between countries in the number and kinds of technology they use in the election process. An important finding is that even though most countries use some form of election technology, the use of election technology for actual voting (voting computers or Internet voting) is relatively rare. In terms of the difference between independent and governmental model EMBs, independent EMBs seem to be more “in control” of the technology used. This means that they are more likely to have a decisive role in the decision-making process and to have ownership of the technology and provide the technological support for it. These findings signal that the introduction of technology does not seem to have a negative impact on the independent position of EMBs. This means that EMBs that have a formal independent position are also in most cases independent from other actors in the election process, such as other governmental agencies and vendors, when it comes to the use of technology.
Introduction
The use of different forms of technology in the electoral process is on the rise (OSCE/ODIHR 2013). Many countries use information and communication technologies (ICT) to try to improve their election process. When thinking about e-enabled elections, however, there is a tendency to think about e-voting and I-voting only. However, there are many phases during the electoral cycle where some form of ICT can be used. Many countries around the world, including some new democracies, use forms of electronic voter registration and identification, such as through the use of biometrics (Yinyeh and Gbolagade 2013). The tabulation and publishing of the results can also be done with ICT. There is also the possibility to use ICT to support the process of redistricting.
While discussing these new technologies, one should be aware that most of the ICT that is used is not seen by the voters, since it is only used by the election administrators. These are applications such as electoral registers and software for the registration of parties and candidates and for the tallying and calculation of the results. However, voters are also confronted with ICT in some countries where forms of e-voting have been introduced. This can range from fairly simple forms such as a scanner that counts the ballot as the voter puts it in the ballot box, to the use of voting computers in the polling station, but also remote voting through the Internet.
Although forms of electronic voting, registration, or tabulation might be useful to enhance turnout (Germann and Serdült 2017) or help with the counting and tabulation process, its use raises questions about the governance of the electoral process. An election in which technology is used requires a greater technical knowledge (Schwartz and Grice 2013). If an electoral management body (EMB) does not have this knowledge, it may have to rely on private companies to assist it in running the electoral process. However, a private company, unlike an impartial EMB, could have vested interests in the outcome of the election, raising the issue of impartiality (McGaley and McCarthy 2004).