Skip to main content

Click to vote: Politicians push for online ballots in time for 2016 elections

immigration joins digital age white house
Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to a FoxNews.com report, some Democratic politicians based in Iowa have started to push for the implementation of an Internet-based voting system that would be in place in time for the 2016 elections. That’s when the next presidential election is set to take place.

The proposal was put forward during a recent Democratic National Committee gathering, and supporters of the idea claim that Internet voting could provide greater access a variety of party supporters, including absentee voters, members of the military who are stationed overseas, and other groups of people.

“We’re looking at different options,” Iowa Democratic spokesperson Christina Freundlich said when speaking to FoxNews.com about the proposal. “Democrats are always looking at ways to get more people in 2016 to participate in the Democratic process.”

The idea of Internet-based voting isn’t exactly new though, and test runs have already been conducted. One of these trials occurred back in 2010 in the District of Columbia. Only a few days into the trial, the District of Columbia’s Board of Elections and Ethics shut down the experiment after people who were present during the tests were greeted with the University of Michigan’s fight song when they were trying to vote. This was the work of UM professor who, though he was reportedly helping with the Internet voting trial, urged his students to hack into and penetrate the system, which they did successfully.

Considering the rocky roll-out of the Obamacare sign-up websites, we’re willing to bet that a significant amount of people won’t be so quick to warm up to this possible melding of government and technology. Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see whether this catches on as we steamroll towards the 2016 election cycle.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

Image credit: http://www.technobuffalo.com

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Konrad Krawczyk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

Read more
The best MacBook to buy in 2024
Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

Now that Apple has started outfitting its laptops with its M3 generation of chips, it's time to take another look at which is the best MacBook to buy in 2024. That’s not always easy, though, as buying the newest MacBook isn’t always the right decision. Apple has several tiers of performance, as well as various sizes, which can further complicate the matter.

What’s more, you can also still get M1 and M2 MacBooks, some from Apple’s own website and some from third-party retailers. But are they still worth your money? Our guide should help you decide.

Read more
9 best laptops of 2024: tested and reviewed
The MacBook Air on a white table.

To earn the crown as the best laptop in 2024, a device needs to have it all: gorgeous design, killer performance, a productive keyboard, long-lasting battery life, and much more.

Each of the laptops below has been vetted thoroughly by Digital Trends. Whether it's an affordable Chromebook or a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, they've all been subjected to real-world testing, as well as benchmark and battery tests, to collect enough data to objectively pit them against each other.

Read more