The power of the Internet was in full display last week.
Within 20 minutes of posting my story on our Web page about Brockton considering going with electronic voting for the next election I was contacted by a woman in Los Angeles, California, and another in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
They were horrified that local officials would even think about doing away with paper ballots.
“We envy you people, we really do,” said Joyce McCloy  of our electoral system. She edits an online publication on voting issues.
McCloy said electronic voting can lead to vote buying scams and other abuses. However, after sitting through the 90-minute presentation on Monday, I have to say I’m impressed with Intelivote’s approach.
The fact that the company has a proven track record, and more importantly, a growing client list speaks to the future of casting ballots.
Granted, there will always be the potential for scams and hackers on the Internet, but there seems to be enough security features with Intelivote to diminish potential threats to a minimum.
Studies have shown that more people vote when using an electronic format that can be done from the comfort of your home, via a cell phone, and anywhere in the world. That, in itself, is a strong argument for the change. In 2006 41.9 per cent of eligible voters in Brockton voted (37 per cent in Brant; 41 in Greenock; and 45.5 in Walkerton).
Contact should be made with communities that have made the switch to get an unbiased opinion of the service, and then, if positive, council should take the plunge.
Some will argue that democracy is under attack through electronic voting. However, one could argue just as well that with a minority of citizens now voting in each election, democracy has been under attack for a long time.