Internet voting not likely in state
Elections Board official cites security concerns
By AMY RINARD
arinard@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 18, 2004

Oconomowoc - The Common Council has gone on record endorsing Internet voting for municipal elections, but the chairman of the state Elections Board said Wednesday that it's highly unlikely Wisconsin will ever allow voting through the Internet.

"We wouldn't touch that with a 10-foot pole," said Shane Falk, a Madison lawyer and chairman of the state board.

"As long as I'm chairman, or even on the board, we will not see Internet voting in Wisconsin. There are just too many problems with it."

In a 5-3 vote Tuesday night, the Common Council approved a resolution asking the Legislature to refer the matter of Internet voting to the Elections Board for study. The resolution asked that if the board's findings are favorable, changes in state law be made so that the city can allow its residents to vote using the Internet.

The idea of holding elections on the Internet was proposed by Mayor Gary Kohlenberg about a year ago.

He said Wednesday that he wants the city to be a test site for Internet voting in Wisconsin if the state Elections Board and the Legislature agree such voting can be accurate and secure.

"Let's improve voter turnout by making voting more accessible," said Kohlenberg, who is not seeking re-election because he's running for Congress.

He said he pushed for approval of the resolution because if the city did not go on record expressing an interest in Internet voting, the issue might never be addressed by the Legislature or the Elections Board.

"It sends a message that we want to be a pilot for Internet voting in the state of Wisconsin, but we only want to be a pilot if the state Elections Board feels confident with Internet voting."

Falk said the board has not been impressed with Internet voting. A board priority is to get all towns, villages and cities in the state equipped with optical scanner voting systems because some communities still use paper ballots and punch cards.

He noted security concerns raised over Internet voting, the lack of any paper records that could be used in a recount and the fact that many voters do not have access to the Internet.

"Internet voting sounds wonderful, but there's no way to secure it, and even the federal government has scrapped it for use by overseas military personnel in the next election," said Falk, referring to the Defense Department's abandonment of Internet voting.

Council President David Nold, who is a candidate for mayor, said he voted against the Internet voting resolution because the technology does not yet exist to make it feasible and because the city does not really need it.

"We don't have voting problems in Oconomowoc," he said. "We don't have hanging chads; we have optical scanners that work fine."