Electronic voting too risky: report

Audit of P.E.I. plebiscite on electoral reform sheds light on risks, benefits of e-voting

Electronic voting presents too many risks to use in high stakes provincial or national elections, according to an independent audit of Prince Edward Island’s 2016 plebiscite on electoral reform.

The audit is contained in the annual report of the province’s chief electoral officer, tabled Thursday in the provincial legislature.

It says Islanders can be confident the results of the plebiscite were accurate and adequate processes and controls were in place.

But it also flags several risks that, while not a concern in P.E.I.’s non-binding provincial plebiscite, could emerge in “hotly disputed contests, where extreme distrust and dislike exists between ultra-partisan participants.”

Hacker groups like Anonymous or state-sponsored threats such as Russia or China could compromise results of elections using the electronic voting, the report states.

“While electronic voting by telephone and Internet definitely promises increased accessibility, convenience and efficiency, the ITPVI (Independent Technical Panel on Voting Integrity) advises proceeding with caution and prudence,” the audit report says.

For this reason, the panel recommends any use of online and telephone voting for federal or large-scale elections should be limited to absentee voters for the time being.

“It is important that leaders in Canadian electoral administration manage public expectations and articulate their concerns about the fact that a perfectly secure and fool-proof electronic voting system does not yet exist.”

P.E.I.’s plebiscite on electoral reform was the first provincewide electronic vote ever held in Canada, and as a result, electoral bodies across the country were closely monitoring P.E.I.’s experience.

The vote was held over 10 days from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7, 2016, and allowed voters to choose between five electoral options on a preferential ballot, voting by telephone, Internet or in-person on a paper ballot.

The four-member audit panel, made up of electoral IT experts from across Canada, performed pre-screening and post-examination of the results.

The general conclusion was that P.E.I.’s plebiscite “maintained a high level of integrity,” but this was in spite of some risks that were impossible to mitigate, including vote buying and vote secrecy determining whether a voter has been coerced.

While they expressed full confidence in the results of P.E.I.’s plebiscite and noted no reports of voter coercion, the audit team did highlight some additional observations on the vote, which could shed new light on the low voter turnout. The observations include:

— Many Islanders said they found it difficult to understanding the electoral options;

— Many Islanders found ranked ballot too complex and said they would “simply let other Islanders vote on their behalf”;

— The audit team was troubled by the oft-repeated comment: “I’m not going to vote because I would prefer things remain exactly as they are.”

The audit team also raises alarms about staffing levels at Elections P.E.I., saying the office is severely understaffed without sufficient full-time employees to meet its mandate.

“This introduced administration risks that were near-to-impossible to mitigate, and P.E.I. legislators should be aware that a spectacular electoral failure will inevitably occur in their province if this situation is not properly addressed.”

In spite of the challenges identified, it appears electronic voting is cheaper than traditional elections.

The total cost of P.E.I.’s plebiscite on electoral reform was $640,428, which equates to $6.25 per registered voter. The last provincial election cost twice that, at $1.24 million, which works out to $12.38 per voter.