One Vote
One Vote

Examine the role of technology in elections

Call for evidence about risks and benefits of introducing blockchain in India's electoral systems

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  • Reconsidering Electronic Voting - pros and cons

    Zainab Bawa

    @zainabbawa

    Developing countries face an interesting and complex challenge when faced with the need to weigh between the benefits and potential harms of election technology. Some of these are well documented. Dr. Taha Ali, teacher at NUST and advisor to the government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on election technology, recently published an article on “Reconsidering Electronic Voting” - https://www.dawn.com/news/1640711/reconsidering-electronic-voting (As some of you may be aware, Taha, Hina and their colleagues from NUST are regulars at the election tech webinars hosted thus far.)

    Taha’s article attempts to demystify the benefits and harms of election technology for the general reader, and stimulate a dialogue. Engaging the lay audience and raising awareness by explaining these technical issues is possible through comparison and contrast with other relatable and familiar systems - such as online banking and ATMs - which seem similar but are immensely different in scope and complexity. Taha also describes the downsides arising from fetishisation of technology, and urges stakeholders to exercise caution. He advocates putting in place a transparent and democratic process when dealing with technology interventions in elections.

    Taha, Hina and the team at NUST have recently launched PIVOT election technology awareness project. You can follow their work on the Twitter handle @pivotpk

    [This week’s update is compiled by Dr. Taha Ali, with review and edits from Sankarshan M. and Chantal D’Costa.]

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One Vote
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One Vote is an initiative to examine a diverse set of inputs and perspectives regarding the introduction and evolution of technology as part of the elections. We use public discourse, deliberations and reports to raise awareness about this topic for a lay audience. One Vote is designed to enable cr… more

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