E-voting is short for ‘electronic voting’ and refers to the option of using electronic means to vote in referendums and elections. There are systems such as DRE (Direct electronic recording) voting machines that record the vote without that vote being transmitted over the Internet or another network. The interface of a DRE machine can be a touch screen or a scanner that scans the ballot paper where the voter marked the vote. 
The vote is then registered and stored in the voting machine. Then there is the voting over the Internet that uses a PC with an Internet-connection to cast the vote and send it to be stored in another remote computer. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s), telephones or mobile phones can also be used to cast a vote electronically.
There are a wide variety of e-voting set ups, ranging from the casting of the vote with the aid of an electronic device (voting machines) inside a polling station to casting a vote anywhere outside the polling station at a PC and transmitting the vote via the Internet.
E-voting might also refer to the use of electronic means for the vote counting process, but this will not be addressed here.
In this "Focus On" “Polling place e-voting” will be used in reference to systems where a voter casts his or her vote inside a polling station or similar premises controlled by electoral staff. "Remote e-voting" will be used to reference the system where a voter casts his or her vote at any place outside the polling station.
The two systems face similar challenges. However, remote e-voting is, in some aspects, more challenging than polling place e-voting. The fact that the casting of the vote is not done inside a controllable area of a polling place and that the vote has to be transmitted in some way to the polling or counting place, poses additional challenges.
Next: Requirements for e-voting
