DEMOCRACY IN DECLINE: CAN INTERNET VOTING SAVE THE ELECTORAL PROCESS?

摘要

The 2000 Presidential election proved that the current voting systems used in the U.S. are not sufficient to maintain the level of integrity required in a sophisticated democracy. Equipment once thought-off as near perfect electoral aids, such as the lever-operated machines and punch cards readers, in fact could and have become highly contentious and undesirable. Moreover, it soon became apparent that the system as a whole cannot be trusted to count and tabulate all the votes in an equal manner. The 2000 election revealed that the system was procedurally and systemically unsound and in need of drastic, rather than minor, change. Internet voting has been championed by some as a miracle cure for the current ills of our electoral system. But one must remember that, like any voting system, it too has its potential drawbacks and flaws. After the initial euphoria surrounding the prospects of Internet voting swept the electoral world, the issue was studied in further detail and the promise of Internet voting convenience was replaced by overarching issues of security and reliability. But some in the electoral community have come to realize that, when compared to the current voting technologies, Internet voting is a reasonable voting alternative.