Electronic voting system proposed to Electoral Commission

A proposal has been made to the Electoral Commission by a local company to introduce electronic voting, with the aim of eliminating spoilt votes.

Head of BITbyBIT Amatus Edwards made an appearance on Current Affairs with Clinton Reynolds on MBC Television Tuesday, where he revealed details about the system.

Edwards said the system proposed to the Electoral Commission could prove to be more efficient given the simple features that come with it.

He said it will also alleviate many issues with the voting process.

According to him, the voter would need to touch a screen to indicate their option, but in the event of any challenges, the system will help the voter identify their selection, with the invisible assistance of a presiding officer.

Voters will not be required to use a computer or a mouse, and the voter will be able to verify that their choice was actually printed on the ballot paper at the end of the voting process.

Critics have however suggested that electronic voting has many flaws including electronic ballot manipulation, but Edward said the system developed by his company will produce accurate results.

Edwards said his company is awaiting word from the Electoral Commission on its proposal.

In the 2011 general elections, 2,106 votes were rejected, which represents 2.52 percent of spoilt votes, something Edwards said should not be allowed to happen again.

Elections in Saint Lucia are constitutionally due by 2017.

Via stlucianewsonline.com