Grande Prairie is on the right track in terms of online voting, but serious changes need to be made before the system can be effective, says the president of a leading-edge intelligent vote company. Dean Smith, president and founder of Intelivote Systems Inc., a Halifax-based worldwide leader in electronic vote systems, says the proposed process for online voting needs to be changed if city officials expect voters to use it.
He predicts an increase of no more than 5% voter turnout for the 2013 municipal election if the city keeps its current plan to have voters register for advance polls by scanning photo identification before they vote. Normally, voters would sign in at polling stations to confirm their identity.
“When you introduce another process into Internet voting – in other words, you have to do something other than simply open your mail – the best that you will do is about a 5% final turnout,” said Smith, whose company has operated electronic voting for more than 61 municipal elections in Canada.
Full Article: Online voting pros & cons | Local | News | Daily Herald Tribune.