Republican News · Thursday 14 August 2003

Electronic voting tally to be released

Sinn Féin Dublin EU Candidate Marylou McDonald has welcomed Environment Minister Martin Cullen's announcement that tally figures will be available in next year's Local Government and European Union elections.

She warned, however, that "there are still concerns that the current electronic voting system is seriously flawed and requires significant changes to make it safe. These concerns need to be addressed urgently."

Electronic voting was introduced at the general election in three constituencies and it is the intention of the government that all constituencies will have electronic voting for the next local elections and for every election thereafter.

"It is incredible that there has been little or no debate around the issue of electronic voting despite the major effect it will have on elections and the potential dangers that it throws up," said McDonald.

"Sinn Féin is not against electronic voting but we believe that the form introduced here may be flawed and we are calling for a number of changes to be introduced to ensure that the system works as it should.

"The PR-STV system used in 26 county elections is a complicated process, especially when dealing with eliminations, surpluses and transfers. Developing computer programmes that correctly fulfil legal requirements under electoral law is a very difficult task. One of the means often employed to ensure a high degree of safety is to use a method called Formal Design, which proves each part of the code. Such a system is employed in many systems where safety is critical eg: power stations, transport systems, hospitals etc. But it seems that it was not used here. And the fact that the source code is not available to the public for inspection means that its actions cannot be verified.

"It is important that there is full public confidence in the system of electronic voting which is being used.

"Electronic voting using a kiosk type system is achievable but there are serious questions about how the current system was produced, how the count is recorded and the ability to independently recheck. These are serious concerns which should be addressed urgently."