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UK government hesitant to praise alternative voting methods

May 2, 2002

LONDON - The use of alternative voting methods, including electronic kiosks, appear to have been a success in an initial trial conducted during local elections in England on May 2. But government officials were taking a wait-and-see attitude.

According to the Financial Times, about 34 percent of the eligible electorate voted on May 2, allaying pre-election fears that turnout would sink to 25 percent. But while turnout remained steady in districts using traditional voting methods, it increased by more than 25 percent in districts where postal ballots were used.

Touchscreen kiosks were set up at supermarkets at two locations in St. Albans to accommodate voters. About 10,000 voters were eligible to vote at the kiosks (See story: British vote on kiosks during upcoming elections). Other alternative voting methods included text-message voting in Sheffield and Liverpool and voting via the Internet.

Nick Raynsford, UK local government minister, told the Financial Timesthat it was too soon to determine whether the kiosks had impacted voter turnout and if the system would be used in future elections.