Safevote is announcing today a solution to prevent spoofing in remote
Internet voting. The solution will be tested in Sweden, during Umeå
University's student union election in May 2001, funded by grants from
the Swedish Ministry of Justice, which oversees elections in the country;
the Foundation of Knowledge in Stockholm, an organization established by
the Swedish parliament whose goals include promoting research at
Sweden’s universities; Umeå County, where the University is located;
and the student union itself.
Recently, an Internet voting report from the U.S. National Science Foundation considered spoofing an unstoppable threat and recommended long-term research on spoof prevention. The Swedish election will show, however, that the technology exists to effectively prevent spoofing today.
The student union was interested in Internet voting because of the desire to increase voter participation and reduce cost, said Markus Hellgren, Umeå student union vice president and project leader for this Internet election. Some students come from considerable distances and may attend classes on campus as infrequently as once a month. The Internet will also make voting much more convenient for them, he explained.
The Swedish government agencies were particularly interested in helping fund the use of the technology, as the union’s voting system mirrors the national voting system. Approximately 12,500 persons will be eligible to vote in the election — which is about the population of a typical midsize Swedish county.
More on www.safevote.com
The technical details will be published in The Bell, possibly in the Marchissue.
Cheers,
Ed Gerck
