Security management Toolkit

Story: Digital rights group slams e-voting

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On ballot secrecy

As an IT professional I would certainly never trust an electronic ballot. However, those who believe a paper ballot is secret (as in anonymous) are in fact mistaken. One of the reasons that a paper ballot is safe from fraud is that in the case of allegations of fraud it can be reverse-engineered.
When you go to the polling station, your ballot paper is torn out of a book like a cheque book. The serial number is printed on the ballot paper and on the counterfoil. The official will check your name off the voting list (so that you don't vote twice) and then he will write your voter number on the counterfoil.
After the count, the ballot papers and the counterfoil books are securely and separately stored for a period before being destroyed. During the storage period, if there are any concerns about fraud, then the whole lot could be inspected (it would take a mountain of work) to find out who voted for whom.
If you feel inclined not to believe this, just try writing a terrorist threat on the back of your paper next time you vote; I guarantee the police will be on your doorstep before the count is over. (Caveat: I don't really recommend this - it would be highly irresponsible).

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