Could The Vote By Mail Increase Help Us Vote Over The Internet Sooner?
How soon will we be able to vote over the internet? We hope it will become a reality soon. In a recent press release by the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) data was shown that vote by mail ballots are becoming more popular in California as election officials try different methods to increase voter turnout.
People like voting in convenient ways. The info in the press release indicates that more and more citizens in California are voting by mail. In 20012, 6.7 million votes were cast via the mail in California.
We believe that the statistics in the press release reveal just how successful voter turnout can be if we vote over the internet. If we are seeing sign up rates like this, think how much of an increase we would see if we could vote over the internet in a transparent, secure way. Online voting can be extremely secure and safe if the correct methods are used.
An argument could be made that online voting would even save votes from being lost or misplaced. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has reported that lost mail volume can be as much as 4.7%(2010) We can safely assume that not every ballot mailed reaches the appropriate registrars office. We should be taking the appropriate measures to eliminate all risks associated with ballots not reaching the ballot box.
If we were to vote over the internet via a secure voting platform we would see the same convenience benefits, but reduce all the risks of ballot misplacement. With the correct voting system, verifying you vote become extremely simple. We have the technology. It is now just a matter of when and where. What state will be the first to let their citizens vote over the internet first? We believe the states who are pioneering online voter registration will take the first steps.
Source: CACEO
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