IET members invited to attend a roundtable on electronic voting

With online voting becoming more mainstream for popular television shows using a smartphone or tablet, the IET is exploring the challenges around applying e-voting technology to General Elections in future and they’d like to hear from IET members who can add value to these discussions.

One key barrier to implementing an e-voting system is security. How can we ensure that the person voting is the same person who’s eligible to vote and how can we provide a robust audit trail if a recount is needed?

The IET has set up a cross-sector working group to explore issues around electronic voting, with an initial focus around the prospect of internet voting.

The aim of this working group is to provide well-informed and authoritative technical advice on the issues, challenges and risks around such systems, with respect to their requirements, design, deployment and operations. As part of this process, we are holding a series of workshops in May and June to feed information into the working group.

The Chair of the IET E-voting Working Group, Professor Steve Schneider, said: “Electronic voting is an issue of our time. It provides opportunities for accessibility, convenience and engagement, but it also opens new cyber-risks to the democratic process. The IET Working Group on e-voting is currently considering the issues around Internet Voting in the UK with respect to its risks and benefits.”

The roundtables will provide an opportunity to share a range of views and explore how the IET can help to lead developments in this area. Discussion will cover two of the key challenges that internet voting needs to address:

1. Technical: What are the security requirements, issues, threats and risks in internet voting?  What are the conditions an internet voting system would need to meet to be acceptable for large-scale use in statutory elections?
2. Societal: What are the new opportunities enabled by internet voting?  What are the drivers for internet voting?  What are the broader societal risks of the cyberisation of voting?

Space to attend is limited, so If you feel you have the necessary expertise to contribute to these discussions and would like to attend a session, please contact Ahmed Kotb, Digital Lead (akotb@theiet.org).