E-voting vetoed for 2009 election

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 27 Oct 2008 at 10:41

The Government says it has no plans to roll out e-voting for the next election, potentially signalling an end to its interest in the technology.

The Government's stance was revealed in a written statement to parliament, in which Michael Wills, minister of state for the Ministry of Justice wrote: "The Government does not plan to introduce e-voting for the 2009 European or local elections.

"The way forward more generally on e-voting will be informed by the valuable experience gained from earlier pilots, analysis of the responses to the election day consultation, and further development work including the possible further testing of e-voting solutions in non-statutory elections."

Trials of the technology have already drawn heavy criticism, with its use in London's 2008 mayoral election described by the Open Rights Group as "weak in design and testing."

The Electoral Commission has also admitted to reservations about the technology, arguing that security around e-voting needs to be beefed up before further large scale trials go ahead.