Will Californians someday vote in favor of online voting? That’s the idea behind at least two active ballot measure proposals that would create new avenues for people to cast their ballots.
One measure, called the “E-Voting Act of 2016,” would initiate through state statute an IT system that would allow constituents to vote from any device or computer via real-time software.
The proposal would stipulate that online voters would be able to share via social media that they voted — much like an “I Voted” sticker. The system as proposed would mandate an electronic paper trail and two-factor authentication via an e-signature.
According to documents submitted to the California Secretary of State’s Office, the measure’s proponent is Chase Martinez of Citrus Heights, Calif. Martinez did not return a phone call from Techwire as of press time.
The E-Voting Act of 2016 says the online voting system should be funded from $45 million remaining in the Voting Modernization Fund. But those funds might not be readily available.
According to a March 2015 secretary of state staff report, the Voting Modernization Act of 2002 allowed the state to sell $200 million in general obligation bonds to assist counties in the purchase of updated voting systems. Approximately $195 million has been allocated to counties, although $65 million had not yet been spent by 25 counties.
On Jan. 4 the Legislative Analyst’s Office released its fiscal analysis of this e-voting measure. The LAO said there would be possible one-time costs to state and local government in the tens of millions of dollars as well as ongoing costs in the millions of dollars.
Another ballot measure proposal, the “Election Data Security and Military Ballot Access Act,” also would enable electronic voting.
“That voting system will allow California's military serving overseas to vote instantaneously and securely without sacrificing their right to a secret ballot, and eventually will extend to all California voters,” the measure declares.
The measure would establish a nonpartisan commission of cybersecurity and encryption experts to work with elections administration officials “to certify a voting system with at least as much security as the current vote-by-mail system.”
The “Election Data Security and Military Ballot Access Act” was introduced Dec. 15 by Olson, Hagel & Fishburn LLP, which maintains offices in Sacramento and Long Beach.
The E-Voting Act of 2016 and the Election Data Security and Military Ballot Access Act are both pending review by the Secretary of State’s Office.
