Internet Voting in Civic/Provincial Elections

Earlier today - BC's Attorney-General Shirley Bond spoke out on the concept of internet voting for local and provincial government elections.  My local MLA, Donna Barnett (Cariboo-Chilcotin), spoke out on this item last week as well which you can view here

My personal view is that if the appropriate safeguards are in place in addition to maintaining the traditional voting system for those without computers or don't wish to vote online - Internet voting can be a great tool for both our local and provincial democracies and even our Federal democracy and surely increase our steadily declining voter participation rates.  If we use the Internet to do our banking online with little or no worry, why should voting online be any different?

From BC Attorney-General Shirley Bond:

For some time now, we've been hearing from many British Columbians around the province, as well as from interested municipalities, that they want to know more about Internet voting.

As a society, we've grown increasingly comfortable with the Internet as a tool. In fact, 93 per cent of British Columbians now have access to high-speed Internet, making us one of the most connected jurisdictions in the world. Many of us have grown accustomed to the convenience the Internet offers and we often rely on it for functions like online banking, shopping and booking travel plans.

This shows the potential Internet voting has to increase accessibility and convenience and reinvigorate democracy in British Columbia. However, when it comes to something as integral to our democracy as our electoral process, it is imperative that the appropriate precautions are taken.

That's why I, as Attorney General, have requested that Elections BC convene an independent panel to examine the potential for Internet voting here in B.C. This is the first step in exploring whether or not Internet voting is a feasible option for our province.

Specifically, Elections BC has been asked to look at best practices when it comes to internet voting in other jurisdictions - both in Canada and around the globe. The panel will look at Internet voting in both local and provincial contexts, as certain factors may be unique to each level of government.

Most importantly, the panel will be examining all potential security and privacy concerns and how those may be addressed before we would even consider implementation. B.C.'s chief electoral officer Keith Archer will chair the panel, which will have members with expertise in technology, cryptography, Internet security policy and electoral administration.

This panel will - and already has - sparked an engaging conversation about modernizing our electoral process. While we remain optimistic Internet voting could increase voter turnout in our province, we are exercising tremendous caution with something as significant as our province's democracy.

I'll look forward to receiving the independent panel's report and observing the interesting debate about Internet voting as it unfolds.