Intro: An Online Election in America

image
Matt MetznerMatt Metzner
Published: 16 Aug, 2012
1 min read

Over the next several weeks I will be posting content from a paper written earlier this year regarding the implementation of an online election in America. The general thesis being that an online election could be conducted and would likely create an increase in voter turnout.

First the paper will evaluate voter turnout rates in recent national elections. Comparing both mid-term to presidential elections.

The paper addresses the threat of voter fraud as a major counterpoint to online elections in America and new election technology. I will dispel the rumor that voter fraud is a large enough problem to warrant closing the door on new technology.

The paper will also present several case studies where countries, municipalities, and organizations have held online elections effectively. Each location implemented the technology slightly differently and their tools will be evaluated.

Finally, practices that I believe are best suited for implementation in the United States will be presented. This will include the technology, mechanisms for preserving transparency and security, and opportunities for making democracy more available to American citizens.

Feel free to ask questions, object, raise issue with any of the points considered. I'll gladly enter a discussion, point you to my sources, and debate each issue. The paper will be presented as a series of segments as I dive into the possibility of an online election in America being held in the near future.

You Might Also Like

Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read
court gavel.
Virtual Discussion: The Fight for Equal Independent Voting Rights Makes it to SCOTUS
Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....
29 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
Supreme Court building
SCOTUS Considers Challenge to Closed Primaries -- Here's Why It Is Such a Big Deal
In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....
26 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read