Why online voting is âdifficultâ
The realization of online voting is not easy because of the technical difficulties in keeping votes secret.
- Vote secrecy is one of the key requirements for elections in the modern democracy state. If the votes are known to others, the pure free will of the individual is inhibited and may encourage fraud such as vote buying.
- In Japanâs current polling place voting system, voting secrecy is protected by the structure of the polling place, the arrangement of equipment, and the assignment of poll supervisors and poll witnesses. In addition, the ballot becomes âreceipt-freeâ once the ballot is placed in the ballot box, eliminating the link between the voter and the content of the vote, thus strongly achieving secret ballot.
- On the other hand, online voting carries the risk of being forced to vote from home or elsewhere under the influence of intimidation or bribery. Even Estonia, the only country with nationwide online voting for national elections, has taken countermeasures by allowing voters to vote online in advance and then vote again at the polling place, but as long as there remains a link between the voter and the content of the vote, receipt-free voting has not been realized.
- There is no urgent need to introduce online voting in Japan as there is in Estonia, and technological breakthroughs are needed. However, there may be room for an earlier introduction for overseas voting, which already uses the double envelope system. In any case, it is important that voters themselves understand the risks involved in the background before discussing and making decisions.
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