There will likely be safeguards in place for the mail-in transportation funding vote: expert
Posted February 5, 2015 1:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – You’ll be mailing in your ballot after you tick the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ box in the coming transportation tax vote, but just how secure is that system?
There are methods to reduce the chance of fraudulent votes, according to UBC political science Max Cameron.
In many votes done by mail-in ballot, the approach is to use two envelopes. You place your vote in one, and then you enter identifying information in the other.
“That allows the election’s administration to check off your name when they receive the envelope from you, so you can’t vote twice,” explains Cameron. “It also guarantees the secrecy of your ballot.”
He expresses confidence in the system, pointing out it’s successfully used in many western democracies.
“Mail-in ballots are used all around the world in all kinds of established democracies — the United Kingdom, the United States — it’s pretty standard, pretty commonplace,” says Cameron.
Cameron says there might be isolated incidents of fraud or irregularities, but for the most part it is a reliable and convenient way to handle votes.
