Governments in about 1,400 counties in the United States and in 42 countries around the world are turning to technology companies to create voting software to prevent tampering with voter ballots — while cutting costs and increasing participation.
"If you follow the instructions, it’s actually pretty simple," Carol Thompson, manager of Alaska’s Absentee and Petition Office, told
Bloomberg Businessweek.
The state hired Scytl, a technology company based in Barcelona, Spain, in 2012 to create a system that would provide online ballots for residents.
The software generally allows registered voters to visit a government website and enter an electronic ID and password, according to the report.
After a voter submits and signs a digital ballot, the software encrypts the data on the individual's mobile device and provides a digital receipt.
In Alaska, officials have warned residents that voting online could be vulnerable to a hack.
"We haven’t had any issues," Thompson countered, "and we expect use to keep increasing."
Scytl (rhymes with "title") was created in 2001 and has raised about $120 million to bring more election processes online, CEO Pere Vallès said.
Another voting software maker is Everyone Counts Inc., based in San Diego, Calif. The company's software also handles voting for the Oscars and the Emmys.
CEO Lori Steele Contorer told Bloomberg Businesweek that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission could grant the company the nation's first federal certification for online voting next year.
The company has received $40 million in funding from investors since 2006, Contorer said.
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