As we move forward, online voting seems shimmeringly imminent, particularly because virtually everything we do, we already do online. But voting is far different than banking, shopping, and communicating. It’s trickier and more complex. However precariously, voting in the United States is hoisted up as an essential part of the political system. In theory, casting ballots gives ordinary citizens a means of control—change is always just one election away. It’s crucial for voters to believe that the mechanisms through which their views are delivered are legitimate, and if those mechanisms are tinkered with or updated, that trust should be preserved. As it stands, there are legitimate concerns involved with current and near-future voting technology. There’s still a long way to go, and with something as vital as voting, there is an infinitely small margin for error. … “You need physical security for your ballots,” Pamela Smith, Verified Voting’s president, says. “Let’s say you return a ballot by email. You’ll have a printed record, but it might not match, if something happened with it in transit.”
Of course, our current voting machines could also be targets for fraud, as those currently used in five states also lack a paper trail. Smith agrees, but points out that, unlike online voting portals, electronic voting machines usually aren’t connected to a “worldwide attack system.” Online voters, she says, might be using computers or cell phones infected with malware, and any kind of sophisticated interference that happens in transit may be impossible to detect. The current election season is a cogent reminder that security is never guaranteed:
Thus far, hackers have successfully targeted the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, and other party officials, and tried the same trick with voter registration websites across the country. And if last week’s DDoS attack—which targeted an advanced and well protected network, unlike, say, your state’s online voting portal—is any indication, large-scale attacks are possible. (When Washington, D.C. tested an online voting system in 2010, it was quickly hacked by a college professor and his graduate students.)
Full Article: We’re Not Ready for Online Voting.