Page 1 of 1

e-Elections: Are we ready to digitise democracy?

elections.idoxgroup.com

Page 2 of 2

1. Introduction: Transforming with tech

2. Combatting the pinch: Making smarter investments for smarter working

3. E-counting: Delivering accuracy and speed

4. Voting online: Secure democracy at the push of a button

5. Biometric systems: Democracy in the selfie age

6. Online registration: Improving access for all

7. Liquid democracy: Voting on anything, anywhere

8. Reawakening democracy: Driving digital by default

Page 2

Contents

“ Fair, transparent and accessible, elections have been the cornerstone of modern democracy for hundreds of years. But now, ‘modern’ means a different thing entirely. ”

elections.idoxgroup.com

Page 3 of 3 elections.idoxgroup.com

2. Making voter registratio

As digital technology continues to play a fundamental role in revolutionising services across the public sector, Idox Elections’ Managing Director William Quinton discusses the challenges faced by electoral teams today, and how digital may be the answer to delivering a voting system fit for the 21st century...

Fair, transparent and accessible, elections have been the cornerstone of modern democracy for hundreds of years. But now, ‘modern’ means a different thing entirely. Just like the wider public sector, elections too are faced with the contemporary challenges of austerity – the same cuts, the same ‘do more with less’ message and the same time, efficiency and resource pressures – along with the acceleration of technology and changing voter expectations.

As any electoral administrator will attest, elections don’t just happen. But lately they’ve been happening a lot more often. Last year’s unscheduled general election was just the latest in a succession of recent votes that have seen UK citizens returning to the polling stations for national, devolved and local elections, as well as having their say on Scottish independence and EU membership.

At the end of last year, the inaugural Electoral Summit 2017 brought together expert members from across the UK to accelerate the democratic engagement agenda, with a view to strengthening the integrity of the electoral process in general. It was noted by Sir John Holmes, Chair of the Electoral Commission, that the demands on those associated with elections are growing, making running elections an ‘intensive business’.

This intensity is why elections – and their delivery – are not immune from digitisation. In fact, there are already pockets of electoral teams across the UK and internationally embracing technology to overcome leaner budgets and keep up with advancing systems. And it is likely that this ‘push and pull’ effect will encourage many more to knock on digital’s door.

But what are the pitfalls facing electoral teams today? And how can technology – from online voter registration to electronic counting – potentially help to overcome them?

1. Introduction: Transforming with tech

Page 3Page 3Page 3

Back to the top

William Quinton

Managing Director, Idox Elections

elections.idoxgroup.com

Page 4 of 4 elections.idoxgroup.com

2. Combatting the pinch: Making smarter investments for smarter working

The domino effect that typically ensues following funding cuts means that every government service feels the squeeze; organisations need to think differently, work smarter and operate more efficiently.

Electoral teams are no different. Local authorities still need to deliver transparent, fair democracy but with tighter purse strings. The peaks and troughs – and unpredictability – that come with elections mean that any digital investment needs to manage the complexities of today’s election cycles. According to a report by The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) following the 2017 general election, this is something that electoral teams are already doing well – despite ‘intense pressure’.

For local authorities to have their eye to the future, ultimately, achieving efficiency – but at minimal cost and effort – makes digitisation a high priority. This means working smarter by embracing technology to assist and support their electoral services team. Channel shift, automation, using additional data sources, gaining greater insight from an authority’s own data, usability and intuitiveness, are all examples of how electoral teams can benefit from tech.

Innovations such as geospatial awareness technology that accelerates boundary change and polling district review processes from weeks to under an hour, is a great illustration of the positive impact that digital can have.

Having the right technology in place to support key processes provides electoral teams with the tools needed to not only deliver democracy, but to revolutionise it. And from our experience, local authorities are already seeing great success from it.

Page 4

Back to the top

“ Having the right technology in place provides electoral teams with the tools needed to not only deliver democracy, but to revolutionise it. And from our experience, local authorities are already seeing great success from it. ”

elections.idoxgroup.com

Page 5 of 5 elections.idoxgroup.com

3. E-counting: Delivering accuracy and speed

Electoral systems are highly dependent on trust and accuracy at all levels. Yet services that are still driven by manual processes – whether that be the dispatch of ballot papers, the counting of votes or the identification of geographic boundaries – will always be more vulnerable to inaccuracies than those automated by technology. After all, we’re human:- we make mistakes.

In 2016, both of the main party leaders in Australia’s parliamentary election endorsed electronic voting after it took more than a week to produce the poll’s final results. Declaring the results of an election or referendum accurately and in good time is a fundamental task for electoral administrators. Delays can call into question the competence of election managers, and can raise doubts about the validity of the poll itself with factors such as fatigue coming into play.

But trying to increase speed doesn’t have to equate to a decrease in accuracy with technology. Many councils – both in the UK and internationally – are tapping into digital services that automate key processes to ensure the delivery of accurate, timely results.

Scotland uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, making it possible for the electorate to vote for every candidate in order of preference, which is more complex than the first-past-the-post system where the public votes for just one candidate. Manual counting in an STV election can take considerably longer and may delay the declaration of results.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland now use e-counting technology, which reduces the count from days to hours and calculations to just minutes. In May 2017, such technology enabled Orkney Council to be the first Scottish local authority to announce their local election results at 9:35am.

Irrespective of voting system, e-counting brings with it a wealth of benefits, with unmatched accuracy, speed and transparency.

E-counting is also attracting a following across Europe. Norway has used ballot paper scanning technology for both local and national elections, while Malta has recently chosen an e-counting solution for the country’s next round of European Parliament and local council elections in 2019.

Page 5

Back to the top

“ Trying to increase speed doesn’t have to equate to a decrease in accuracy with technology. Many councils – both in the UK and internationally – are tapping into digital services that automate key processes to ensure the delivery of accurate, timely results. ”

Page 6 of 6 elections.idoxgroup.com

4. Voting online: Secure democracy at the push of a button

Around the world, democracies have been experiencing declines in the participation of citizens in elections. A 2016 report on voter turnout trends found that despite the growth in the global voter population and the number of countries holding elections, the global average voter turnout had decreased significantly since the early 1990s, particularly in Europe.

The UK has not been immune to this trend. In 2016, analysis by the WebRoots think tank reported that an estimated 95% of the UK’s 19,000 elected politicians had won their seats in elections with less than 50% voter turnout.

These figures are worrying. Poor participation in elections can give power to those who don’t represent the views of the majority. Ultimately, it can call into question the legitimacy of the democratic process.

These concerns have prompted increased interest in the use of technology in elections. Brazil and the United States have been using electronic voting machines in polling stations for many years, and it’s thanks to this technology that the votes of India’s 800 million voters in the 2014 parliamentary elections were counted in a single day.

Internet voting (i-voting) has been slower to take off. It’s over ten years since Estonia became the first country to implement online voting for its parliamentary elections, and only a few countries have followed their example. Australia, France and Canada have experimented with online voting, while Switzerland has taken a step-by-step approach, introducing online voting in selected cantonal elections.

There is no constraint in law as to how Scottish community council elections are run, and so a handful of such elections have included an online channel, provided by both Idox Elections and their strategic partner, Scytl, in recent years. Pilot schemes for local elections have also taken place in the UK, the latest of which happened in 2007, when citizens in five localities, including Sheffield, were given the option of voting using the internet, kiosks at polling stations or mobile phones. A report on the trials showed that use of the internet as a voting channel varied considerably: 76% of all votes cast in South Bucks were cast online, while in Sheffield the percentage of internet votes cast was just 2.7%.

Many see the value of online voting as a way of boosting turnout. WebRoots Democracy, which campaigns for i-voting, believes that the introduction of an online voting option could increase turnout in a General Election by up to nine million, and raise youth voter turnout to 70% (from 64% in 2017). WebRoots also claims that online voting would generate savings and reduce the number of accidentally spoilt ballots cast.

Page 6

Back to the top

“ Brazil and the United States have been using electronic voting machines in polling stations for many years, and it’s thanks to this technology that the votes of India’s 800 million voters in the 2014 parliamentary elections were counted in a single day. ”

Page 7 of 7 elections.idoxgroup.com

In reality, the evidence is mixed. Estonia’s March 2015 elections saw 30% of voters submitting their ballot online, a 25% increase on the previous parliamentary elections of 2011. But in Switzerland, cantonal elections in 2017 – which included an online voting option – did not see any increase in voter turnout.

Surveys consistently show public support in the UK for online voting, and young people have indicated they would be more likely to vote if they could do so online. The main barrier obstructing the wider introduction of i-voting is a concern about electronic voting systems being hacked or manipulated.

After the 2007 pilots, the Electoral Commission recommended that no further online voting trials should take place in the UK until management and security concerns were addressed. However, in recent months, the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales have resurrected the idea.

The Scottish Government’s recent consultation on electronic voting suggested that it could save money and reduce carbon emissions. As a result, the Scottish Government is likely to launch pilot schemes to explore how electronic voting could increase voter participation and provide voters with greater choice and flexibility, particularly for people with disabilities.

Similarly, the Welsh Government has proposed trials exploring the use of electronic voting in local elections and by-elections. There is also interest in online voting in Bristol.

Page 7

Back to the top

elections.idoxgroup.com

Page 8 of 8 elections.idoxgroup.com

5. Biometric systems: Democracy in the selfie age

In the UK, voters don’t usually need to verify who they say they are. But in England’s 2018 local elections, five areas piloted ID checks at polling stations, and the Government has recently announced a further round of pilots involving eleven authorities in England’s May 2019 local elections. The move follows a review of electoral fraud which recommended ID checks to prevent vote stealing. Voters in these areas were recommended to bring a passport or driving licence to the polling station, but critics noted that the move risks making voting harder, especially for elderly people who may not have photo ID.

In the not-too-distant future, biometric systems, such as fingerprint and facial recognition may become the norm in elections. The technique is already being tested in the United States for overseas members of the armed forces. Under the experiment, an app uses facial recognition to compare a user’s selfie to their official photo ID. The user is then issued with a ballot, then takes another selfie and submits a thumbprint for biometric authentication. The vote is then recorded on a distributed ledger using Blockchain technology (see section 7 below).

Meanwhile, in Sweden, workers are volunteering to have communications devices implanted in their hands. It’s not too farfetched to suggest that implanted computer chips could one day verify identities at polling stations.

Page 8

Back to the top

Page 9 of 9 elections.idoxgroup.com

6. Online registration: Improving access for all

Democracy’s most valuable asset is that it is open to all. Apart from a few exceptions, everyone has a right to vote and have their say – location should be no barrier to this.

In 2014, the UK Government launched an online platform enabling citizens to update their details on the electoral register. Since then, over 30 million people in Great Britain have registered to vote, and 75% of these have used the Register to Vote website.

During the 2017 general election campaign, more than 96% of registrations were made using the online service, with more than two thirds of online applications made by people aged under 34. A report by the Electoral Commission observed that online registration had “significantly improved access to elections”. Similarly, citizens in Northern Ireland can now register to vote online following the launch of a bespoke electoral system in June 2018, specially designed for The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI). Virginia McVea, EONI’s Chief Electoral Officer, commented: “This system provides a vital new point of access for people in Northern Ireland in exercising their democratic rights.”

Elsewhere in the world, online voter registration has been adopted and adapted. In Sweden, Chile, Finland, Germany, South Korea and several US states, voter registration is automatic. Citizens in India making complaints about registration can do so online, while in the United States the ‘Rock the Vote’ platform encourages young people to register online.

Back in the UK, pilot projects have been addressing the inefficiencies encountered by electoral registration officers when checking the details of citizens whose circumstances have changed during the annual electoral canvass. Using Idox Elections’ digital registration software, electoral officers in Birmingham, Ryedale and South Lakeland could single out households displaying mismatched information. This meant that households whose circumstances had not changed did not have to be targeted by electoral officers, saving time and money as part of the new process.

An Electoral Commission evaluation of the 2016 pilot projects noted that the data, covering only three local authorities, did not enable firm conclusions to be drawn either for or against the piloted changes. A larger set of pilots took place in 2017, and both the Cabinet Office and the Electoral Commission published their findings on these earlier this year.

Page 9

Back to the top

Page 10 of 10 elections.idoxgroup.com

Traditional voting mechanisms are often restrictive and unable to cater to those living out of the country, unless a proxy vote is suitable.

With postal voting being unreliable due to timings, technology does have the potential to close this geographic gap in the future – either by facilitating electronic delivery of the ballot paper or by supporting online voting.

Page 11

Back to the top

Page 11 of 11 elections.idoxgroup.com

7. Liquid democracy: Voting on anything, anywhere

Just because fewer people are voting does not mean they are not politically engaged. Many are seizing the chance to communicate their views to policymakers and commentators using social media and online petition platforms. In the past year, fourteen petitions on the UK government’s e-petitions website have attracted more than 100,000 signatures, resulting in these proposals being debated in parliament.

The familiarity and ease of going online is one of the arguments put forward for electronic voting. Proponents point to the growing number of adults using the internet (87.9% in the UK in 2015), and the high numbers going online for everyday transactions, such as shopping and banking (the share of people using internet banking in Great Britain was 63% in 2017, up from 30% in 2007). Perhaps one of the most striking statistics to emerge from a 2014 WebRoots study showed that the South Shields parliamentary constituency had more constituents on Facebook than had voted in their Member of Parliament.

But increasingly, online tools are also being developed to re-engage disaffected electorates, especially among young people. One such application is DemocracyOS. Developed in Argentina, DemocracyOS is an open-source platform that can translate upcoming legislation into easy-to-understand language, and then enable citizens to vote on it. One of the creators of DemocracyOS believes that democracy must change with the times:

“We need to start thinking about whether systems that were developed in the 18th century, and fully implemented in the 20th century, make sense in a 21st-century societal context.”

DemocracyOS falls within the concept of “liquid democracy”, which means giving everyone the power to vote on everything using technology. As one proponent of the concept explains:

“Liquid democracy is the modern version of an improved democratic decision-making process. In a liquid democracy, you always have the option to vote directly, representing yourself. And you may even pick trusted proxies, who can use your extra vote anytime you don’t use it yourself.”

Blockchain is one of the emerging technologies being developed to support liquid democracy. It’s also being suggested by some as a way of overcoming concerns about the hacking of online voting. Others point out the potential challenges of blockchain, such as introducing additional complexity, gaining public trust and adapting the technology to the privacy and data protection laws.

Page 12

Back to the top

“ Perhaps one of the most striking statistics to emerge showed that the South Shields parliamentary constituency had more constituents on Facebook than had voted in their Member of Parliament. ”

Page 12 of 12 elections.idoxgroup.com

8. Reawakening democracy: Driving digital by default

A hundred years on from women achieving the vote for the first time, elections are now, more than ever, the cornerstone of our democracy.

In recent years, the British public has had more questions put to them in the form of referenda than any other time in history. The sector delivers a voice to all and an opportunity to guide change – without it, society has no real platform on which to promote fairness. Time travellers from a century ago would be astonished at the advances we’ve made in science, medicine and communications. But they might be equally astonished at how little has changed in the way we choose our elected representatives.

Understandably, with the threat of cyberattacks, governments are taking a cautious approach to technological incursions for the management of elections. Former UK Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore made it clear that electronic voting in national elections is a long way off:

“We believe that the current paper and pen method is the best way forward, it means that each individual’s vote is counted equally, one citizen one vote.”

But, in the 21st century, we live online. Until recently, the online revolution had touched only the margins of elections management. Yet, the times are still changing: slowly, but surely, democracy is going digital, despite a heavily traditional heritage. The reality is that there needn’t be a compromise on tradition versus modernisation, accuracy versus speed and security versus trust.

The advance of online voter registration, e-counting and internet voting makes it much more likely that digital technologies will continue to change the face of elections management for good.

UK-based Idox Elections is a leading European electoral services provider, with unrivalled resource, range and system flexibility. From print to PVMS, from canvass tablets to call centre solutions, and from electronic voting to electoral data mining, we offer a trusted, end-to-end elections service to customers across the UK and Europe, allowing them to deliver flawless elections.

Our future is driven by that of our customers, creating innovations that allow them to innovate in response.

For more information about our full suite, email elections.sales@idoxgroup.com or visit https://elections.idoxgroup.com

Page 13

Back to the top

https://elections.idoxgroup.com

0333 011 1200

marketing@idoxgroup.com

@IdoxElections

“ Time travellers from a century ago would be astonished at the advances we’ve made in science, medicine and communications. But they might be equally astonished at how little has changed in the way we choose our elected representatives. ”