As we increasingly conduct sensitive transactions online, from banking to filing taxes, a question naturally arises: If we trust the internet with our financial information, why can’t we use it for voting? While this seems like a logical progression, the reality is far more complex.
The Case for Online Tax Filing
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been accepting electronic tax returns since 1986, and in recent years, a majority of Americans have opted to file their taxes online. This system has several security measures in place:
- Encryption of data during transmission
- Multi-factor authentication for user accounts
- Fraud detection algorithms
- Ability to verify and correct information after submission
Despite these safeguards, tax-related identity theft and fraud do occur. However, the IRS can usually detect and correct these issues, often before they impact the taxpayer.
The Unique Challenges of Online Voting
While online tax filing and voting may seem similar on the surface, voting presents several unique challenges that make it far more difficult to secure:
Ballot Secrecy
Unlike tax returns, which are tied to your identity, votes must remain anonymous. This requirement makes it extremely difficult to verify the authenticity of a vote without compromising voter privacy[1].
No Room for Error
With taxes, discrepancies can be identified and corrected after the fact. In an election, once votes are tallied, errors can’t be fixed without compromising the entire process[1].
Scale and Impact
A compromised election could have far-reaching consequences for an entire nation, making it a highly attractive target for sophisticated attackers[2].
Voter Verification
Ensuring that each vote comes from an eligible voter without violating ballot secrecy is a significant challenge[3].
The Current State of Online Voting Security
Despite advances in technology, experts overwhelmingly agree that the internet is not yet secure enough for widespread online voting. Key concerns include:
- Vulnerability to large-scale attacks that could alter election outcomes
- Difficulty in detecting and proving election tampering
- Potential for voter coercion in remote voting scenarios
- Challenges in maintaining a paper trail for audits and recounts
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated in a 2018 report that “no known technology guarantees the secrecy, security, and verifiability of a marked ballot transmitted over the Internet”[1].
Looking to the Future
While online voting may not be feasible with current technology, research continues. Some potential developments that could make online voting more secure in the future include:
- Advances in encryption and blockchain technology
- Development of more secure voting protocols
- Improvements in biometric authentication
However, any online voting system would need to be thoroughly tested and vetted before implementation on a large scale.
Conclusion
While we may be comfortable filing taxes online, voting presents a unique set of challenges that current internet security measures are not equipped to handle. The stakes in an election are simply too high to risk compromising its integrity. For now, traditional voting methods, combined with secure electronic voting machines that produce a paper trail, remain the most reliable way to conduct elections. As technology evolves, we may eventually develop systems secure enough for online voting, but that day has not yet arrived.
Citations:
[1] https://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/EPI-Center_FactSheet_Online-Voting.pdf
[2] https://www.nist.gov/itl/voting/security-recommendations
[3] https://electioncenter.org/electionresources/Internet%20Voting/e-voting.security.pdf
[4] https://www.computerscience.org/online-voting/
[5] https://www.aaas.org/epi-center/internet-online-voting
[6] https://verifiedvoting.org/internet-voting-faq/
[7] https://www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/electionofficials/security/Voting_System_Security_Measures_508_EAC.pdf
[8] https://econofact.org/how-secure-are-u-s-electronic-voting-systems
