Electronic voting is secure, insists Minister

ENVIRONMENT Minister Martin Cullen, yesterday insisted that electronic voting is secure despite a warning from a computer security firm which studied the issue.

Mr Cullen said the firm's warnings had been taken on board in piloting the new voting system twice this year and would also be taken account of when the new system is introduced nationwide in the June 2004 local and European Parliament elections.

Security is a concern in all elections, whether we use the new electronic voting system or the traditional ballot paper. We are confident the new system is secure, a spokesman for Mr Cullen said.

He was speaking following an RTE news report, that security consultants found that the ballot paper format being used was suspect and there were also concerns about the equipment and controls. The company, Zerflow, warned the integrity of the system could be called into question as it was open to tampering and people could be duped into voting for the wrong candidate.

The system was first tried in the May 17 general election in three constituencies, Meath, Dublin North and Dublin West. It was later tried in the second EU Nice Treaty referendum in the same three constituencies along with four others, Dublin Mid-West, Dublin South, Dublin South West and Dun Laoghaire.

Despite some bitter complaints about the way the results were delivered following the general election, the Government pronounced the experiment a success and said it would be extended nationwide for the next planned elections. The Department of Environment spokesman yesterday said he could not give a 100% guarantee that there would not be attempts by people to tamper with the electronic system. But then again neither are there 100% guarantees that the ballot papers would not be subject to the same thing, the spokesman said.

The new system means an end to marathon cliff-hanger counts because results can be delivered within hours of the close of polling booths. It also spells the end of that great Irish political institution, the so-called tallymen and women, whose keen observations gave extremely accurate predictions hours ahead of final results.