The concessions offered by the Coalition Government in the Dáil debate on electronic voting over the past two days do not go far enough to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the ballot paper.
A last-minute offer to establish an independent panel to verify the secrecy and accuracy of the voting system, introduce primary legislation and facilitate other minor changes indicates political alarm rather than willing co-operation. Public doubts will persist, however, given the limited time available for the review and the Government's determination to press ahead with the new system in June. The U-turn may have to be greater.
It would be better to suspend all plans for electronic voting pending a detailed review of security and transparency issues by a statutory electoral commission. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Cullen, has been far too blasé in his approach. Serious questions concerning the integrity and security of the proposed system were raised by computer experts and by the opposition parties many months ago. But their interventions were ignored or dismissed as political trouble-making.
The Government ploughed ahead with its long-term plans to have an electronic voting system in place for the local and European Parliament elections and, after that, for general elections. But, in an unprecedented show of dissent in this Dáil this week, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Green Party combined to oppose the Government's plans. The Government offered some concessions. But it continued to oppose the introduction of a separate, paper-based voting record. Public confidence in the electoral process is an invaluable asset created over generations. It could take years to recover if damaged.
The Government would be unwise to risk the introduction of an electronic voting system that does not have the support of the opposition parties. The widespread concern of computer experts must be taken into account. Computers and modern technology have transformed the way we live. They were successfully used in a number of constituencies in the last general election and in the second Nice referendum. But a rush to modernity must not be the only consideration in this matter.
Computers are open to "hacking" and manipulation. Systems can "crash" and programmes can be infected with a virus. It is imperative that some form of verifiable audit is available on paper.
Many people have lost confidence in politicians. It will be a poor day for democracy if they now suspect the voting system.