Levels of Difficulty in Introducing e-Voting

Abstract

Recent e-voting pilots in the UK have demonstrated that there are different factors to be considered in the administration of electronic voting. In this paper we present a framework for the evaluation of the level of difficulty involved in the deployment of e-voting schemes. Taking the public authority’s point of view we identify eight factors, which increase the overall difficulty of e-voting administration. We suggest that as new e-voting technologies and associated activities are introduced in the re-design of the electoral process, its administration becomes increasingly more difficult. We provide examples explaining the practical use of the suggested framework based on some of the 2003 UK e-voting pilots. In concluding we refer to existing limitations of the framework and suggest future work, which could expand its analytical value.