Electronic Voting

Introduction to Electronic Voting

Electronic Voting, a balloting system that allows votes to be entered and recorded in an electronic form. These balloting systems are also referred to as e-voting or direct-recording electronic systems (DREs). The voter uses a direct entry device to register vote selections, and the entries are transferred (via circuitry) to electronic recording media, such as a computer hard drive or a memory card. The direct entry device may be electronic, as with a touch-screen, or electromechanical, such as a panel of pushbuttons.

The set of selections made by an individual voter comprises a ballot. Electronic voting systems typically record the entire ballot as an electronic “image” although there is no real picture of the ballot, just data that represent the voter’s choices. After the polls close, the contents of the ballots are tabulated and reported by the voting system as vote totals. These totals are typically provided in a printed paper format that can be read by the workers at the individual precinct (or polling) locations. The totals can also be provided in an electronic form that can be transferred to a central system where the various precinct totals are consolidated at the municipal, county, or state level. See also Election.

Balloting systems in which the voter makes selections on paper that are subsequently recorded electronically by using optical scanning or punch-card readers are considered to be electronic tabulation and are not truly electronic voting methods. The votes were not originally made electronically and so are not considered a form of electronic voting. However, vote-by-phone and Internet voting systems would be considered types of electronic voting because the original votes are made electronically.” (1)

E-vote or Electronic Voting in Election Law

System which allows a voter to cast his or her vote using an electronic machine designed for this purpose. E-voting can also be conducted using devices such as mobile telephones and via the internet. Votes are digitally stored and transferred to a computer server. Specific software programmes compile and calculate the results.

Resources

Notes and References

Information about Electronic Voting in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Electronic Voting

In this Section

Election, Voter Registration, Electoral Systems, Election Types, How Voters Decide, Electoral Realignments, Electorate (including Electorate Historical, Electorate Gender, Electorate Race and Social Position, Electorate Property and Poll Tax and Residence) and Electronic Voting (including Electronic Voting Origins and Electronic Voting Problems)

Hierarchical Display of Electronic voting

Politics > Parliamentary proceedings > Parliamentary procedure > Parliamentary vote