Madam, - Kathy Sheridan (Opinion, January 15th) and Margaret McGaley (January 20th) have raised an important issue about electronic voting without a paper trail. The results of an election will be in the hands of a small number of unaccountable people who will have access to the computer programme which runs the system designed to analyse the votes. No independent person - politician, judiciary or layman - will have access to the primary evidence.
Given what is at stake and the lengths which some of our politicians have gone to attain and misuse power, the present proposal to change to a totally electronic system is irresponsible. The paper trail is necessary in the event of a dispute.
The present proposal opens up the core procedure of our democracy, the secret ballot, to corruption. It also removes access to the counting of votes from the ordinary citizen and places it in the hands of a small number of people on whom there is no check. The opportunities for corruption are infinite.
Given the importance of this issue, I am amazed at the deafening silence on this issue from both public representatives and political commentators. - Yours, etc.,
A. LEAVY, Shielmartin Drive, Sutton, Dublin 13.