The WAEC’s internet and IVR telephone voting system is available (under new legislation) to electors with an incapacity, disability or low literacy, who otherwise would be unable to vote in secret or would find it very difficult to get to a polling place. Over 1,000 electors have already registered to use the system, compared with less than 50 who used the Vote Assist system available at the 2013 State election. The latter required blind and vision impaired electors to attend one of a small number of special voting centres.
The new system is based upon the iVote system used successfully at the last two NSW State elections, with some modifications and enhancements developed in conjunction with the NSW Electoral Commission.
Although no internet application is 100% guaranteed, iVote has the following advanced security features:
- As votes are cast they are encrypted using advanced encryption methodologies, and then encrypted again for transit.
- The votes cast are stored on one secure server but replicated on a second (the two servers being in different secure locations). Therefore, anyone who tries to interfere with the votes has to decipher two different, advanced encryption codes. Because the two sets of votes will be compared (by an independent comparator and under the supervision of an independent auditor) anyone trying to alter the votes would need to ensure they left precisely the same pattern of votes on each server. This would be very difficult to do at all, let alone within the limited time available.
- An additional layer of security is offered by the elector being able to ring a telephone number designated by the WAEC, which will allow their vote to be read back to them electronically and any discrepancies to be reported to the WAEC. If the elector has any concerns they have the ability to cancel their vote and vote again.
- The entire iVote process is overseen by an independent auditor.
With regard to some of the specific comments made by the authors of a recent article criticising aspects of the iVote system:
- The company used to protect against Denial of Service attacks is a highly reputable supplier of security services whose operations are certified to a very high level. It has its own operational servers in Australia.
- The reliance on reputable third parties to assist in the delivery of electoral services is not something unique to internet voting. It is a necessity across various aspects of election operations.
This leads to a final critical point which for whatever reason is often overlooked by critics of internet voting. There are risks inherent in all election systems: paper-based, electronic, internet, postal voting and so on. Any perceived risks associated with internet voting need to be balanced against risks that already exist in our current system, as well as what iVote is trying to achieve in assisting electors who would otherwise be disadvantaged, for example by being unable to vote in secret.