E-voting could be introduced within 18 months

The Government is continuing to test its controversial €50 million electronic voting system and could seek to have it in use for the referendum on the EU constitution which is expected to be held within the next 18 months.

It is also sticking to its policy position that there is no need for a back-up "paper trail" with e-voting. Testing only relates to computer software.

The introduction of the e-voting system was postponed indefinitely last spring after an independent commission established by the Government raised a number of questions over its security and efficiency.

A spokesman for the Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche, told The Irish Times yesterday the Department was continuing with a programme of testing and assessment of the system. The spokesman indicated that up-coming by-elections in Kildare and Meath could come too early but that the electronic voting system could be used in a future referendum.

The Government is expected to hold a referendum on the EU constitution within 18 months while it would also have to put any significant proposals for reform of the Seanad to the people.

Mr Roche told the Dáil last Thursday that the testing, assessment and validation programme being carried out by his Department was "intended to address the concerns raised in the commission's interim report published last April on the secrecy and accuracy of the electronic voting and counting system".

He said the objective of the testing programme was to demonstrate both to the Commission on Electronic Voting and to the public that the Nedap-Powervote system was suitable to be used in Irish elections. He said it had been chosen following detailed assessment of the requirements to be met in Irish elections.

"The timing of the further use of the system is dependent on the progress made with this programme of work and the dates on which future polls may be held," the Minister said.

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the testing programme related to the computer software and did not involve a policy change such as the provision of a back-up paper trail.

The postponement of the introduction of electronic voting - which had been scheduled to be used in the local and European elections last June - was a major embarrassment to the Government. It lead to strong criticisms by the Opposition of the then minister, Mr Cullen, for alleged massive waste of money on the project.

Mr Roche confirmed on Thursday that the Government had so far spent around €51 million on the electronic voting and counting process. He said additional costs "were likely to be small relative to the capital investment already made".

He said benefits of electronic voting and counting included "more democratic outcomes through the minimisation of invalid votes", more accurate counting of votes and greater flexibility and speed in the voting and counting processes.