Why You (Still) Can't Vote Online

The advantages of online voting are may: it is convenient for a lot of voters, more accessible for the elderly or those who can't get off from work and still works in the case of a national disaster. But this butts up against one big, recurring problem: despite its promise, the possibility of security failures has thus far proved a nearly insurmountable hurdle. And that's why, at a time when more Americans are using the Internet for their shopping, banking, and even dating, the voting process has been almost entirely untouched by the digital revolution.

Once concern of cybersecurity experts is protecting both the anonymity of a voter, and allowing the voter to prove that their vote was actually cast. In an online purchase, both the merchant and credit-card company or bank attach the customer's name to the purchase. Purchases are tied back to individuals -- something customers want so that they can verify their purchases. But an online-voting system would need to separate the two -- a voter's identity from their ballot -- to protect voter anonymity. In that case, how can that voter be confident that their vote is counted at the end of the day?