News

British vote on kiosks during upcoming elections

April 8, 2002

ST. ALBANS, England -- The electoral process in England is moving toward an embrace of electronic voting methods. During local elections in April and May, selected portions of the United Kingdom will experiment with electronic kiosks as a way of encouraging greater participation in the process.

The trial will take place in two of St. Albans's 20 voting districts. Touchscreen kiosks will be set up in supermarkets and polling stations there. Up to 10,000 St. Albans residents will be eligible to vote using this method, according to BBC News. St. Albans will also experiment with Internet and telephone voting initiatives. Local officials expect voting to increase by 4 percent in those districts as a result of the new technology.

Information kiosks will also be used in parts of Crew, Nantwich, and Swindon, according to BBC News. Areas of Liverpool and Sheffield will test phone-text messaging and digital television voting methods.

The technology test run is part of an initiative to raise participation in the English electoral process. Britain's Electoral Reform Society is optimistic that online voting could take place nationwide by the 2006 general election, though critics are concerned that voter fraud is possible.