Can the secrecy of electronic or internet voting be as guaranteed as voting by the paper ballot?
Yes it can. Electronic and Internet voting systems can duplicate and even go further than paper ballot systems in ensuring that the secrecy of the vote is protected. Votes and data can be highly-encrypted to make sure no one can read someone’s vote. Also, electronic procedures to separate a vote from a voter (just like you do when you put your paper ballot into a box) can be put in place. Of course these systems need to be tested and it’s always best that their software and source code is open to intense scrutiny to make sure it does what is supposed to do. There is more testing done of such software today then there ever has been — and rightly so. Moderator: The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs invites you to its new Guide to the 2008 Elections website at http://usinfo.state.gov/politics/elections/. Thank you for your questions. Please continue to submit them. Mr. DeGregorio is answering them as quickly as possible as they come in. Q [Chat Particip
