Many countries are studying the feasibility of e-voting. Although full-scale electronic distance voting is not yet a reality, a number of countries have already tried out on-line voting from traditional polling stations and other official sites.[1]

Electronic distance voting could make voting easier, encouraging participation by people who are less inclined to go to the polling stations. However, it could be more difficult to protect integrity, entailing risks to the democratic principles of free and secret voting. How to ensure that someone voting on-line is doing so freely and without coercion? How to be certain of the identity of someone voting on the Internet and at the same time protect the secrecy of his or her vote?[2]

E-voting sidesteps many of the safeguards found at a polling station, such as the possibility of verifying that the person truly exists and enquire about his/her eligibility to vote, or the ability to mark the voter in some way (typically inking a finger or endorsing a voter card) to prevent repeat voting. It is also more difficult to detect errors and their source. In addition, e-voting raises questions concerning public confidence, voter competence and accessibility, which could threaten election integrity.[3] Lastly, with a system based entirely on e-voting, there is a risk that individual ballot records would not be saved, rendering a recount of the vote impossible.