30 DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com
Political Will
anD tHe COnFIDenCe
OF CItIzens
A
s is often the case, some ob-
servers are quick to point a
finger at technology. Were
electronic voting or vote
counting machines compro-
mised? The results of recounts in Michi-
gan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and
the subsequent comparison of manual and
automated count results, will shed some
light on the issue. Those truly interested
in ensuring fair elections need to focus on
the bigger picture.
In a perfect world, elections would be
simple. Each person eligible to vote would
cast one ballot, they would be tallied with-
out error, and the results reported. But, as
anyone who has been involved in an elec-
tion knows, our world is far from perfect.
From a security perspective, whether
voting at a corporate annual general meet-
ing or electing a Member of Parliament,
the first fundamental issue is identifying
individuals eligible to vote. In the absence
of a universal national identity document,
free and fair elections are the cornerstone of a democratic
society. as americans debate whether their recent presidential
election was influenced by foreign goVernments or hackers,
interest in the security of the Voting process is at an all-time high.
BY ERIC JACKSCh
