Election to be decided by mobile phone

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 15 Dec 2008 at 07:56

The Estonian Government has passed a new bill that will allow its citizens to vote using their mobile phones in the next election.

The measure will come into effect for the 2011 election, and makes Estonia the first country in the world to approve such as method.

In order to vote using their mobile phone, Estonians will be required to purchase a special chip for their handsets which will verify the voter's identity and authorise their vote on the system.

It's a forward looking measure, even by the standards of the country that became the first nation to offer online voting for a national election in 2005.

Questions have been raised about the security of such as system, however, the Government has waved away concerns saying the system has been externally tested and has proven reliable.