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August 14, 2009
Internet Voting and Election Integrity
By William J. Kelleher, Ph.D.
This article explains how Internet voting can be used to super-democratize US elections.
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Few people realize that our Constitution was written in an anti-party spirit. Our Founding Fathers, and especially the Framers of the Constitution, abhorred "the spirit of party." They regarded "factions" as, in the words of Washington's Farewell Address, "the worst enemy of popular government."Of course, our country's political system has strayed a very long way off the course set for us by the winners of the American Revolution. The original vision of a "separation of governmental powers" has been smeared over by the two-party system. There is no "aisle" in the Constitution. We Americans are so used to that system that many people are surprised to hear what the Framers truly thought of political parties.
Yet more surprising to many folks is that the Framers envisioned the president and vice-president being elected without political campaigns by parties or candidates, and without candidates, parties, or supporters spending any money!
In 2008, Obama spent over $740,000,000, and McCain spent over $300,000,000. We all know where this money came from. Rich special interests, like Wall St. firms, insurance companies, especially health insurance companies and other health "care" corporations, real estate and mortgage banking interests, and arms-related corporations. Government policies line up perfectly with the record of Big Money campaign contributors. Yet, public opinion polls show that the people strongly favor different policy directions than that which the government is pursuing and imposing on us.
Clearly, US elections lack integrity. They are not in line with the original intentions of our Founders. They are undemocratic, because they are dominated by the two-party system, which serves the minority of wealthy special interests. And they are non-responsive to the will of the voters, who want policies in the national interest rather for the special interests.
This need not be. Modern electronic technology can fix it. Internet voting is working in other countries, and has worked well in a variety of experiments in the US. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, and New York City are just some examples of successful uses of Internet voting.
This can be done in presidential elections, and in all other US elections. Imagine a series of debates held on TV, radio, and online. Each debate could be followed by Internet voting. A process of elimination could produce one candidate for each state. Then four regional winners could be selected. Finally, the president and vice-president could be elected.
Internet voting is NOT voting by DREs. Internet voting can be as secure, private, fast, convenient, and accurate as an online purchase or banking transaction. No more treks to the polls just to wait in line and never know if your vote was counted as cast. The paper people are wrong about Internet voting technology.
Internet voting can empower the people of the US to directly elect the president, and all other office holders, without special interest meddling. This would free officials of "political debts," such as now greatly encumber Obama, and make our officials wholly dependent upon the electorate. Internet voting can be the instrument by which US public policy is forced to actually follow the will of US voters.
All these points are explained in detail for a candid world to read at:
http://ssrn.com/author=1053589
William J. Kelleher, Ph.D.