The Election Dept plans to introduce mechanical counting of the votes at the next general election.
I prefer that they go for a electronic voting system. The voters can vote online using the SingPass. Those living overseas can also vote online.
For voters who are not familiar with voting online, they can still visit any polling center and show their NRIC. They can submit their vote electronically.
Here are the important elements of the electronic voting system:
a) There is a register of voters. The SingPass or NRIC will identify the voter. This database ensures that a person can only vote once. It also checks that the correct person is submitting the vote. It prevents a fraud from impersonating a voter.
b) Each vote is registered into 2 databases. The Election Dept holds the primary database. The second database is held by the Supreme Court.
This stops a hacker from altering the votes in the primary database. The vote can be audited against the second. Any votes that do not match can be treated as spoiled.
There is technology to prevent the vote from being altered by a hacker.
c) To ensure secrecy of the vote, the identity of the voter will not appear in the voting slip. Instead, there will be a serial number. This serial number ensures that the vote is valid (i.e not a fake vote). There is another table to link the identify of the voter to the serial number, but this table cannot be accessed, except to verify the validity of the vote.
d) If a voter claims that a hacker had voted with his stolen identity, the voter can submit a new vote to replace the earlier vote, but this will be placed under strict control and verification.
At the close of polling, the results can be computed almost immediately.
Singapore has the opportunity to introduce a workable electronic voting system to the world. Due to our small population, it is easy to have this change implemented. The larger countries will have a bigger challenge, but they will be encouraged by a successful experiment on a smaller scale.
Tan Kin Lian
I prefer that they go for a electronic voting system. The voters can vote online using the SingPass. Those living overseas can also vote online.
For voters who are not familiar with voting online, they can still visit any polling center and show their NRIC. They can submit their vote electronically.
Here are the important elements of the electronic voting system:
a) There is a register of voters. The SingPass or NRIC will identify the voter. This database ensures that a person can only vote once. It also checks that the correct person is submitting the vote. It prevents a fraud from impersonating a voter.
b) Each vote is registered into 2 databases. The Election Dept holds the primary database. The second database is held by the Supreme Court.
This stops a hacker from altering the votes in the primary database. The vote can be audited against the second. Any votes that do not match can be treated as spoiled.
There is technology to prevent the vote from being altered by a hacker.
c) To ensure secrecy of the vote, the identity of the voter will not appear in the voting slip. Instead, there will be a serial number. This serial number ensures that the vote is valid (i.e not a fake vote). There is another table to link the identify of the voter to the serial number, but this table cannot be accessed, except to verify the validity of the vote.
d) If a voter claims that a hacker had voted with his stolen identity, the voter can submit a new vote to replace the earlier vote, but this will be placed under strict control and verification.
At the close of polling, the results can be computed almost immediately.
Singapore has the opportunity to introduce a workable electronic voting system to the world. Due to our small population, it is easy to have this change implemented. The larger countries will have a bigger challenge, but they will be encouraged by a successful experiment on a smaller scale.
Tan Kin Lian
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