The Government should approach the issue of electronic voting with extreme caution and some humility. Its past mistakes, along with the concerns of computer experts and ordinary voters, demand no less.
Earlier this year, it attempted to steamroll change through the Dáil and was only prevented from doing so by a damning report by the Commission on Electronic Voting. Now, in order to protect the integrity of the electoral system and voter confidence, it should provide for a verifiable audit trail.
The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Roche, has confirmed that a new testing programme of the equipment is under way in order to demonstrate to the commission and to the public that the electronic system acquired by the Government is suitable for use in Irish elections. Use of the machines would, he said, depend on the progress made with the testing programmes and the dates of future polls. There has been no change in policy regarding the provision of a back-up paper trail.
It is perfectly understandable and proper that Mr Roche should attempt to ensure that the €51 million already spent by the Government on this electronic system should not be wasted. But the overriding concern must be to protect public confidence through the provision of a separate, verifiable audit trail as part of the voting system. If it is not possible to reconfigure the machines that have already been acquired, we should be told. And, in spite of the costs involved, an alternative electronic voting system should be considered. It is not a matter of urgency. The old paper system has served us well and is still valid. We should not replace it with a flawed electronic arrangement.
All political parties in the Dáil support the idea of electronic voting. But they differ fundamentally on the need to independently validate the results within constituencies. The Electronic Voting Commission found, earlier this year, that it was easy to bypass the security measures on the machines already supplied and to gain control of constituency counts. And, while its terms of reference did not include the issue of an audit trail, it found that the absence of such a safeguard would require extremely high standards of testing.
The Government does not appear to have modified its earlier, arrogant approach. It is now tricking around with a flawed system. And there is talk of using it in a forthcoming referendum on the EU Treaty. Such an approach would be both short-sighted and dangerous. Public confidence in the voting system is the bedrock of our democracy. It must not be damaged.