[kwlug-disc] Lower voter turnout?

[Adam Glauser]

On 4/7/2011 11:24 PM, Chris Frey wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 05, 2011 at 07:21:39AM -0400, Russell McOrmond wrote:
>>    What do KWLug folks think about online voting?  It was included in
>> the Liberal platform as a "solution" to low voter turnout.

> I'm not at all sure that low voter turnout is a convenience issue.
> You might get a few more voters, but I'm guessing probably
> not enough to justify the system.

It's possible that online voting could help a lot with accessibility. 
I'm not sure whether this is (or could be) addressed in other ways, such 
as having polling places in care facilities or making Braille ballots 
available.


> On the other hand, if there were a voting system like this available for
> citizens to provide regular "referendum" style feedback on specific
> current decisions, both binding and non-binding, this might spark
> more political interest.  And viewing the security concerns, a non-binding
> system might be the best first attempt.

We already have that, it's called "Facebook groups". Seriously though, I 
think that it is a really intriguing idea that MPs could poll their 
constituents on specific issues, especially if the system was somewhat 
standardized.