CIAO DATE: 05/2013
July 2012
Electronic voting (e-voting) represents a significant challenge for election observers . These technologies have the potential to facilitate and improve electoral processes and are adopted for a number of reasons . These include the perceived advantages in increased voter access, the possibility of decreased costs (in the long term), facilitation of the conduct of simultaneous or complex elections, earlier announcement of results, potentially fewer opportunities for retail fraud, and fewer errors by voters and poll workers . These technologies, however, pose risks to the integrity of the electoral process that can quickly erode public confidence . Such risks include the possibility of technical failure, external interference with the system, internal malfeasance, and the loss of oversight by and accountability of the election management bodies . These threats have the potential to violate fundamental electoral rights and to subvert the will of the people on a large scale and in an undetectable manner.
Resource link: The Carter Center Handbook on Observing Electronic Voting [PDF]