Irish Computer Society welcomes report from eVoting Commission

The Irish Computer Society (ICS) has commended the work of the Commission on Electronic Voting and welcomed the publication of its latest report. It concludes that the Nedap/Powervote voting machines are broadly acceptable; however it states that the associated counting software and PCs need to be improved.

In March 2004 the ICS responded to a call for submissions from the Commission on the secrecy, accuracy and testing of the Nedap/Powervote e-voting system. In a report produced by the ICS Electronic Voting Committee, the concept of electronic voting was supported in principle, but some specific failings of the particular system were highlighted. The problems outlined included the systemís lack of means to independently verify results, rendering its accuracy in ongoing use undeterminable. In addition, the system did not include a voter verified audit trail ñ a fundamental flaw according to the ICS report.

Other recommendations from the ICS that were endorsed by the Commission included better provision for disabled voters and the addition of facility to abstain or spoil one’s vote in secret.

Commenting on the release of the Commissionís report ICS CEO Jim Friars noted the professionalism with which the Commissionís work was carried out and also thanked the ICS eVoting Committee for their input. ìAs Irelandís IT professional body our members adhere to a code of ethics that have at their core the support and promotion of professionalism in IT. The Commission have taken the correct approach in their thorough analysis of the e-voting system and the ICS is in agreement with their resulting recommendations. I would propose that any future work of this Commission should continue to use consultation, particularly with specialist bodies like the ICS, in order to maximise its effectiveness.î