Politics & Government

What Would Electronic Voting Mean at Town Meeting?

The latest 'You Ask, Patch Answers' discusses this topic.

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Today, we answer this inquiry, "What would electronic voting mean at the Oct. 21 fall special town meeting?"

The ad hoc committee on electronic voting has been studying the topic, and discussed it in a press release Wednesday.

"Electronic voting will be offered for the first time in the Town’s history," the committee wrote.

"Upon checking in for the meeting, voters will receive a device similar to a TV remote control, although smaller and simpler to use. 

"Utilizing this device, voters will be able to cast votes on each issue that comes before the meeting. 

"Each vote will become in effect a secret ballot, and the time taken in the past for hand counts of close votes by teams of tellers will be saved."

Option Technologies International is providing Westborough with the devices for free for the Oct. 21 town meeting, the committee wrote.

OTI currently serves Wayland and other Massachusetts towns, the committee noted.

"Voters will be given an opportunity, toward the end of the Oct. 21 session, to discuss the experience, and express an opinion on the desirability of continuing to explore the option. If that expression is positive, OTI is prepared to repeat the demonstration, again gratis, at the March 15, 2014 annual town meeting.  As part of the annual appropriations made at that spring meeting, the voters may have an option to allocate funds for continuing electronic voting in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014," the committee wrote.

The committee also answered the following questions:

  • Will anyone be able to track how each user is voting?
"No. The electronic voting system is set up to keep this information secure within the system during the votes.  It will not be forwarded to the clerk or the moderator or anyone else while the meeting is in progress.  The detailed voting history on each question is extinguished by the system once the number of yeas and nays has been reported to the clerk and the moderator and announced to the meeting, and the meeting has moved on to the next issue.  The clerk and her staff will be able to link specific voters to specific remotes, but only to assure that we get them all back."

  • Is there a way to check the validity of the electronically-recorded vote?
"Yes. An audit of a particular vote can be taken by bringing a number of handsets forward to a checking station to verify that the vote registered on the handset agrees with the vote assigned to that handset within the system.  This has to be done immediately after the vote is taken, because as noted above, the votes are erased from the system once we move on to the next issue."

  • How secure is the system?
"The system is highly secure and is not connected to the Internet or WIFI access points. Votes are transmitted and confirmed from each device using a patented encrypted radio transmission protocol that involves radio control microchips that are proprietary and unique to the voting system.  The system uses a variety of Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum links that are extremely difficult to intercept, hack, or emulate.  Option Technologies uses several layers of security to detect and impede any attempt to impact voting results."

  • I'd like to watch the town meeting on TV, and vote from home. Will that be possible?
"No. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 39, Section 10 makes it clear that the voters participating in a Massachusetts town meeting are presumed to be present in the hall, or in another hall connected with the first via a public address system.  We have never accepted proxy votes or votes that were cast any other way than in person by voters present in the hall or halls being used for the meeting."

Anyone with questions is asked to call Town Clerk Nancy Yendriga at 508-366-3020.



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