A new committee created by Utah’s lieutenant governor will look at what it will take to move the state to the point where it can hold elections online. Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox’s office announced the formation of the committee Tuesday. The group, which is officially named the iVote Advisory Committee, is made up of state legislators, election officials in the state and individuals who have a strong background in Internet security. “This is the beginning of just trying to understand electronic voting,” said Mark Thomas, director of elections for the state of Utah. … Cox and Thomas both explained there are a number of hurdles that need to be crossed before Utah could host an online election. First would be how to create a process that allows for a ballot to be cast and kept confidential but provide a way for the election to be audited. Another hurdle would be how to protect the integrity of the vote count from hackers.
“There’s some unique challenges there that could make this difficult,” Cox said.
It is timely for Utah to look at options for hosting elections. The state’s current electronic voting machines are no longer manufactured, and it is expected the devices will be obsolete in the next decade. Voting online may be one option to replace those machines. Another option could be switching completely to a vote-by-mail option.
“We know we will have to go to something other than what we have,” Thomas said. “There are a number of different options out there.”
Full Article: Committee to investigate electronic voting options in Utah.