[I'm the principlal author of GNU.FREE, the Free Software Internet Voting system referred to above which we ceased development on]
While it is true that a Free Software system would fulfil the commission's requirements and I think would be more likely to be trusted, source availability does not really resolve any of the most challenging problems with e-voting.
Firstly, how do you prove that the source code verified is that being used on every computer involved in the election? Checksums will not do the job on large scales in a way which is trusted by the electorate and candidates.
An e-voting system, source-available or not, still has the challenge of proving that the voter's intention is accurately recorded on the day. Currently the only viable way of proving this is to use a paper trail... thus raising the question of why go to the expense and risk of implementing e-voting.
Given the choice between a Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) voting system and a proprietary one then I'd naturally opt for the FLOSS one... but I'd fight tooth and nail to avoid e-voting altogether first. The risks are too great considering the limited benefits.
This looks to me like another country trying to gain international attention by adopting a 'sign of modernity'. In other words those making the decision to adopt this have no idea of the electoral implications but want to be seen to be 'with it' and in touch with modern technology.
Electronic voting is extremely expensive, provides opportunities for massive fraud on scales never before seen and makes the voting system opaque to the voters, observers and even candidates. No country, especially not a developing one, can in good faith spend vast somes of money on questionable proprietary technology from mainly dodgy suppliers (guilty of fraud, bribery etc) when there are mouths to feed, hospitals to build and schools to fund.
I won't rehearse all the arguments, but check out our Learn section for more, or listen to me slug it out with the CEO of VoteHere at the Oxford debate recording here.
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[I'm the principlal author of GNU.FREE, the Free Software Internet Voting system referred to above which we ceased development on]
While it is true that a Free Software system would fulfil the commission's requirements and I think would be more likely to be trusted, source availability does not really resolve any of the most challenging problems with e-voting.
Firstly, how do you prove that the source code verified is that being used on every computer involved in the election? Checksums will not do the job on large scales in a way which is trusted by the electorate and candidates.
An e-voting system, source-available or not, still has the challenge of proving that the voter's intention is accurately recorded on the day. Currently the only viable way of proving this is to use a paper trail... thus raising the question of why go to the expense and risk of implementing e-voting.
Given the choice between a Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) voting system and a proprietary one then I'd naturally opt for the FLOSS one... but I'd fight tooth and nail to avoid e-voting altogether first. The risks are too great considering the limited benefits.
More on this at j-dom.org
See this site for GNU.FREE and why we decided not to continue developing Free Software e-voting...
This looks to me like another country trying to gain international attention by adopting a 'sign of modernity'. In other words those making the decision to adopt this have no idea of the electoral implications but want to be seen to be 'with it' and in touch with modern technology.
Electronic voting is extremely expensive, provides opportunities for massive fraud on scales never before seen and makes the voting system opaque to the voters, observers and even candidates. No country, especially not a developing one, can in good faith spend vast somes of money on questionable proprietary technology from mainly dodgy suppliers (guilty of fraud, bribery etc) when there are mouths to feed, hospitals to build and schools to fund.
I won't rehearse all the arguments, but check out our Learn section for more, or listen to me slug it out with the CEO of VoteHere at the Oxford debate recording here.