The Coalition Government has shown undue haste in its desire to modernise the voting system and to introduce electronic voting in time for the coming local and European Parliament elections. Genuine concerns, held by electronic experts and by opposition politicians alike, have not been adequately addressed.
The result is public uncertainty and a potential for future suspicions. Confidence in the voting system is the very bedrock of democracy. And anything that diminishes or damages that confidence should be avoided. In the circumstances, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, and the Government should re-examine the possibility of providing an additional, checkable record of votes cast in polling stations.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, defended plans for the new electronic system earlier this week on the grounds that it had already been used for a referendum and Dail elections in a number of constituencies and had generated a positive feedback from the public. It had been tested by international experts, he said, and had been endorsed by an all-party Oireachtas committee following comprehensive and detailed examination.
The situation is not so simple. The adoption of an electronic voting system has certainly received a favourable response from the public. But the Oireachtas committee referred to by Mr Ahern divided sharply on the issue after questions were raised about the integrity and security of the proposed system and the opposition parties remain unconvinced. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, advised the Committee of Public Accounts that the voting machines and their operating software should be subject to the most rigorous and comprehensive testing regime. And the Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Local Government heard evidence from computer experts that security considerations required the system to be radically modified.
In spite of these concerns and representations, Mr Cullen has maintained a gung-ho attitude to the introduction of electronic voting. Contracts have been signed for a supply of the necessary machines and an expensive publicity campaign is now under way. The Minister has resisted demands for the inclusion of a facility that would provide a paper record of votes cast. Such a concession might be politically embarrassing as well as costly. But public confidence in the voting system is a delicate and irreplaceable component of our democracy. No hint of impropriety can be allowed to undermine public confidence in it, the composition of the Oireachtas, or in any future government.