E-voting system gets mixed verdict

An independent commission set up to examine the accuracy of electronic voting has recommended parts of the system for use in Irish elections.

However, a report presented to the Dáil says e-voting machines should not be used until further testing has been carried out.

The Commission also says that the traditional paper method is moderately better in terms of secrecy and accuracy than the proposed e-voting system in its current form.

The e-voting system, which has so far cost the State over €50m, gets a mixed verdict in this long-awaited independent report.

The Commission says it approves the voting and counting equipment of the proposed system, subject to minor modifications and rigorous testing.

However, it cannot recommend the election management software used to prepare elections, as it contains programming errors and is unreliable.

The report also says that at present, the paper method is better; but that if the Government follows its recommendations, e-voting has the potential to be more accurate than the traditional system.