Scottish Government proposals that could see electronic voting introduced may leave Scotland vulnerable to election interference by foreign agents, campaigners have claimed. With a consultation on electoral reform due to close on 29 March, the Scottish Government said it wants to “explore and trial the potential of electronic voting solutions”. This could help increase voter participation, provide “choice and flexibility” over how Scots vote and assist people who “find voting in elections challenging”. The proposals under consideration include electronic voting, as well as introducing technology to allow voting remotely over the internet or from mobile phones. However, critics of the plans have expressed concern and warned that future elections could be targeted by outside parties.
Matthew Rice, Scottish director of Open Rights Group, said his organisation’s own research on electronic voting – which includes observing in countries with online voting systems such as Estonia – suggested that hack-proof technology was not yet available.
He claimed that with the rise of cyber attacks across the world – often linked to countries such as Russian and China – and the alleged hacking of everything from power plants to voting systems in the US, the risks associated with electoral voting must be properly assessed.
Full Article: Electronic voting could pose security risk in Scotland.